IPL 2018 RR vs SRH: 5 player battles to look forward to between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad

Rajasthan Royals completed an incredible heist against the Mumbai Indians in their previous game and after their initial troubles in the tournament, they seem to have got a combination that might just click.

However, in today’s game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad they will come up against the best bowling attack in the tournament and in their previous two games, they defended 118 and 132. Scoring runs against the visitors won’t be easy and that is where the promise of this match lies.

Both teams are filled with stars but the broader battle will be between RR’s batsmen and SRH’s bowlers. However, there will also be a range of duels to look forward to at Jaipur this evening and here are the 5 most interesting ones.

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#5 Jos Buttler v Mohammad Nabi

There is no doubt that RR’s overseas star Jos Buttler has not been in his usual hitting form in this year’s IPL so far and today he will come up against a bowling attack that hardly gives anything away. The Englishman is averaging 22 and striking at 130.95, while his highest score in the tournament so far is only 29.

His prowess against pace is well known and hence, the tussle with young pacer Basil Thampi promises to be an engrossing one. The young SRH fast bowler has played in the last two games and has gone for only 4.32 runs an over. He will most likely be in operation when Buttler comes in to bat and it is going to be a superb spectacle to watch a young fast bowler go toe to toe with one of the world’s cleanest power hitters. It could be a make or break duel for either of them.

#4 Sanju Samson v Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib Al Hasan

After a couple of single figure scores, RR’s hugely talented number 3 Sanju Samson got back to form with a half-century against MI in his previous game. He would almost certainly need to make a substantial contribution if his team is to get on top of SRH’s bowling attack. Samson is RR’s highest scorer with 239 runs in 6 games and is averaging 47.80 runs per game so far, to go along with an impressive strike rate of 150.31.

His wicket will be a big one for SRH and the bowler who could well do the trick is Shakib Al Hasan. While Samson has been excellent against fast bowling, he has not been as dominant against the spinners and therein lies the opportunity for SRH to get his wicket.

The Bangladeshi has been a lynchpin of the SRH attack and has picked up 8 wickets so far, with an excellent economy rate of only 7.16. This particular duel is almost certainly going to have a huge bearing on the game and it would also be interesting to see how the young Indian tackles the wiles of an old hand.

#3 Manish Pandey v Jofra Archer

Manish Pandey

In SRH’s last game, Manish Pandey scored 54 out of a total of 132 and it seems that after an indifferent start to the tournament, the Indian batsman might be back to his best. However, he would definitely like to improve his current tournament strike rate of 113.60 and if it happens against the IPL’s best bowling attack, then the RR would definitely be in with a great chance of winning the game. Batting at number 4, Pandey would be responsible for the middle overs and the slog overs dash and during that period he would come up against one of the world’s most talented young fast bowlers in RR’s Jofra Archer.

The West Indian can send down thunderbolts on one hand and then come up with an unplayable yorker. On the other hand, his intelligence and accuracy make him doubly hard to get away, as MI learnt to their cost in RR’s last game. He picked up 3 for 22 in 4 overs and pretty much derailed their innings. If RR want to avoid a repeat then it is going to be Pandey who would have to take him on and it is going to be an engrossing watch.

#2 Ben Stokes v Rashid Khan

Ben Stokes

He is the world’s best all-rounder and one of the most expensive players in the IPL, however, Ben Stokes has not been at his best in this year’s tournament so far. He has recorded an average of 24.50 and a strike rate of 126.72. He has scored no fifties yet and perhaps for a big player like him, the challenge of performing against a bowling attack like that of SRH’s might just spark him back into form. However, if he is to do that, then he would have to overcome his difficulties against leg-spin bowling and get the better of SRH’s Rashid Khan, who is in red-hot form at the moment.

After being taken to the cleaners in the two games against Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings, Khan made a few adjustments to his bowling and returned to his devastating best. He returned figures of 2 for 11 and 3 for 19 in the last two games as SRH ended up defending paltry totals. He would be the player who is most likely to give Stokes a lot of trouble. The all-rounder has faced up to 13 deliveries from Khan and has been dismissed twice. This is going to be a huge challenge for Stokes and has all the makings of a classic.

#1 Ajinkya Rahane v Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The RR captain has not scored big yet but he has been able to get the team off to fast starts over the previous few games and that is what Ajinkya Rahane will try again in today’s game at Jaipur. He is averaging 26.66 but he has been striking at 133.33 and therein lies the opportunity for RR to get off to a scorching start in the Powerplays.

A headstart like that against a famously stingy bowling attack can be absolutely vital but SRH’s pace spearhead Bhuvneshwar Kumar would probably not want to have any of it. He did not play in the last two games but according to reports, he is back in training and is expected to play today. He is very difficult to get away but Rahane does have the game to do just that against the best bowlers and hence, the battle between the two India stars could well shape the course of the game in a big way.