IPL 2019: Match 45, RR vs SRH - Predicted Playing XI, Preview, and Key Players

Sunrisers Hyderabad will visit Jaipur for the 45th fixture of the ongoing Indian Premier League 2019 against the Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on Saturday, April 27.

Head to Head Overall Stats: Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have played each other in 10 games and the Orange Army leads the scoreline with six wins.

Head to Head at Sawai Mansingh Stadium: This will be Sunrisers' third visit to the desert land, while the previous stats for matches at the stadium remain neutral with both teams emerging victorious in one game.

Previous IPL 2019 face-off: In their earlier clash on March 29, batting first, the Royals rode on Sanju Samson (102* runs from 55 balls) and Ajinkya Rahane's (70 runs from 49 balls) knocks to post a commanding 198/2 on the board.

But, David Warner (69 runs from 37 balls), Jonny Bairstow (45 runs from 28 balls) and Vijay Shankar's (35 runs from 15 balls) quick knocks overturned the results in the opponents favour, as Hyderabad registered a five wicket win with an over to spare.

Playoff scenarios: SRH currently are on 10 points and need to win at least three of their remaining four fixtures to make a crack in the playoffs, whereas RR are on 8 points and must win all three of their remaining fixtures in a hope to secure their playoff berth on the basis of higher NRR.

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Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Image Courtesy - iplt20/BCCI)

Sunrisers Hyderabad lost their previous game against the CSK and will be in search of a quick turnaround against the Rajasthan Royals.

Batting

Key Batsmen - David Warner, Kane Williamson, and Manish Pandey

Hyderabad faced a certain blow with one of their top two strikers leaving the boat due to the national call-up. In the absence of Jonny Bairstow, the batting will mostly rely on the likes of David Warner and Manish Pandey.

Whereas Warner is leading the Orange Cap charts, Pandey showed the glimpse of his talent with a 43-ball 83 against CSK. The return of skipper Kane Williamson is expected to fill Bairstow's void, and the Kiwi will be eager to lay down a strong show on Saturday.

Bowling

Key Bowlers - Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar

Both Rashid Khan and Sandeep Sharma have snared ten wickets so far and will be expected to make major blows to the opponents. Moreover, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (8 wickets) and Khaleel Ahmed (7 wickets) are the other key wicket-takers for the Sunrisers and are expected to come out with their best against the Royals.

Expected Playing XI

David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Mohammad Nabi, Yusuf Pathan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, and Khaleel Ahmed.

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Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals (Image Courtesy - ipl20/BCCI)

The Royals have already lost their three key players in Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler, which means they have a daunting task of making wholesale changes in the squad ahead of the clash.

Batting

Key Batsmen - Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith, and Sanju Samson

Ajinkya Rahane and Steve Smith are the vital cogs in the Royals line up. Both have scored 352 and 297 runs so far, and these two will have take the responsibility to get the Royals through to a competitive total.

Sanju Samson scored an unbeaten century during their earlier meet against Hyderabad and he will be eager to replicate it on Saturday. However, the team will also have a lot of hopes on Riyan Parag after his match defining 47 run knock against the KKR.

Bowling

Key Bowlers - Shreyas Gopal, Varun Aaron, and Oshane Thomas

In the absence of Archer, Shreyas Gopal is going to be Steve's key striker against the Sunrisers. Gopal (13 wickets) is also team's leading wicket taker this season and will be expected to send early shivers in the opponents camp.

While Varun Aaron, who was adjudged man of the match for his economical 2/20 against Riders, will be eager to dent SRH too. Except these two, Oshane Thomas and Liam Livingstone are the other aspirants with capability of making the opponents sweat with their bowling variations.

Expected Playing XI

Ajinkya Rahane, Sanju Samson (W), Steve Smith (C), Liam Livingstone, Riyan Parag, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Oshane Thomas, Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Aaron and Ish Sodhi.