IPL 2018: Sunrisers Hyderabad v Rajasthan Royals, Match Preview, Team News, Head To Head

Rajasthan Royals are back in the Indian Premier League after serving a two-year suspension and will be facing off against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both teams have one IPL title to their name, with Royals winning the inaugural edition in 2008 and Sunrisers being crowned champions in 2016.

How the teams shape up

In light of the recent Sandpaper Gate, Steve Smith and David Warner will not be a part of this season. Ajinkya Rahane will lead the Royals in the absence of Smith while Warner has been replaced by Kane Williamson, the only foreign captain in the tournament.

In the past, Rajasthan Royals approached the auction conservatively but in 2018 they change the trend by acquiring two of the most expensive players in the tournament - Ben Stokes and Jaydev Unadkat. Shane Warne, their charismatic captain in the first season, will be in the dugout, helping the team with his knowledge and experience.

Big Bash sensation D'Arcy Short is also in the Rajasthan ranks. Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathi will complete the batting line-up. The bowling looks pretty decent with the likes of Ben Laughlin, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ankit Sharma and Krishnappa Gowtham raring to go.

Hyderabad also had a good time at the auction. They kept their successful core group intact. While Alex Hales has replaced Warner, the Sunrisers still have Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan and Williamson in their ranks. Yusuf Pathan, Manish Pandey and Wriddhiman Saha add to the firepower. Well established all-rounders in Carlos Brathwaite and Shakib Al Hasan are also in the squad. With so many choices, the Hyderabad team management will have a hard time in selecting their best eleven.

Probable XIs

Rajasthan Royals - D'Arcy Short, Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni, Ankit Sharma.

Sunrisers Hyderabad - Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Deepak Hooda, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Siddarth Kaul.

Head To Head

Overall: Matches - 7, RR won - 4, SRH won - 3

Last meeting 2015 - SRH won by 7 runs.

Bottom Line

Sunrisers Hyderabad will enter the match as slight favorites given they have home advantage and a well-settled team. On the other hand, if Royals' overseas players find their groove straight away, then they could indeed pull off an upset.