IPL 2019: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s probable playing XI against Kings XI Punjab 

Before 6th April, Sunrisers Hyderabad were looking like the team to beat in IPL 2019. But now, their seemingly invincible aura has been shattered; Mumbai Indians (MI) thrashed the 2018 runners-up by 40 runs despite scoring just 136.

SRH’s wins were built on the formidable opening pair of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. Both of them have been in fine form and have given SRH some excellent starts, and the two of them are also leading the race for the Orange Cap. However, they failed in the last game and the middle-order crumbled after that, as the team crashed to 96 all out.

They need to regroup quickly as they play Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) next on the 8th of April. KXIP have also had a start-stop tournament and have a similar win-loss record as SRH. So whoever wins this match, will edge ahead in the IPL points table.

On that note, here is a look at SRH’s predicted XI for their game against KXIP in Mohali.

David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have been in fabulous form. Warner has scored 279 runs and is currently the Orange Cap holder while Bairstow is not too far behind as he has amassed 262 runs.

Vijay Shankar has largely batted at 3 and 4 this season. After a good first couple of games, he seems to have tapered off a little bit. However, he will still play an important role in the middle order as he can adapt to different situations well.

Manish Pandey has failed big time this season so far. He’s scored just 35 runs in four innings at an average of 11.67 and a strike-rate of 81.39. He needs to strike some form quickly as SRH look heavily dependent on their openers at the moment.

Deepak Hooda hasn’t done much either. He’s scored 20 and 10 in the two games he’s batted, and may be walking on thin ice as far as his selection is concerned.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Sharma might get his first game of the season. Yusuf Pathan has fared poorly so far, scoring just 32 runs in five innings, and might get replaced.

Mohammad Nabi has bowled beautifully so far in this tournament. He is leading the wicket charts for SRH – seven wickets in three games at an average of 6.42 and an economy of 3.75.

The bowling is largely expected to be on the usual lines. Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar haven’t really hit their straps yet, but would still be leading the attack. While Rashid has been economical with teams opting to play it safe against the Afghan leggie, the stand-in SRH skipper has been a big disappointment so far. He’s picked up just three wickets this season and has an economy of 9.36 this season.

Siddarth Kaul has blown hot and cold this season as he’s taken five wickets in as many games so far. He looked in good rhythm against MI though, and the management would be hoping he continues in the same vein against KXIP.

Meanwhile, Sandeep Sharma has been the pick of the bowlers amongst the pacers. He has scalped six wickets so far in this season, and looks good for more.