IPL 2021 Match 28 - RR vs SRH: Preview, probable XI, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast and pitch report

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will go up against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first match of a Sunday doubleheader at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on the Delhi Capitals (DC) in the second match. This clash will mark the halfway stage of the group stage of what has been an enthralling edition of the IPL.

SRH were backed to win the title, but they seem to have gone the other way and are languishing at the bottom of the points table. They come into this game on the back of a crushing defeat against CSK. With just one win out of six, they are yet to identify their best XI. They also need someone other than Rashid Khan to get wickets.

In a fallout of the poor start to their campaign, SRH have appointed Kane Williamson as their captain for the remainder of the season. They also announced that they'd make some changes to their overseas combination. With Bairstow in good form, it's likely David Warner could get dropped.

RR, meanwhile, have done well, despite the spate of injuries and withdrawals they've had to endure. However, with two wins out of six, Sanju Samson and co. need to string together a couple of wins if they harbour any hopes of reaching the playoffs.

Rassie van der Dussen has joined RR as a replacement of Ben Stokes, but it remains to be seen if RR will be able to secure any other players through the trade window. RR are coming off a comprehensive defeat against the Mumbai Indians on Thursday, despite putting up a decent show with the bat.

They may need to rework their batting order after Shivam Dube's slow batting in the middle period cooled their momentum and cost them some vital runs.

With both teams in desperate need a win of a win, an enthralling contest could ensue.

IPL 2021: RR vs SRH Match Details

Date: 2nd May 2021 (Sunday).

Time: 3:30 PM IST.

Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.

Weather Forecast

It should be a hot afternoon in Delhi with an average temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. No rain interruptions have been forecast.

Pitch Report

The wicket at the Arun Jaitley Stadium should start slowing down as the season progresses, so a few balls could stick off the pitch and stop on the batters. However, the small boundaries at the ground make this a decent batting venue, and a score of around 170 should be par for this match.

Predicted XIs

Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Sanju Samson will look to lead RR to the third win of their campaign. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Considering the dearth of options in their team, RR may not make too many changes, despite coming off a defeat. Shreyas Gopal could replace Jaydev Unadkat if an extra spinner needs to be played.

Rajasthan Royals (RR): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C/WK), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat/ Shreyas Gopal, Mustafizur Rahman and Chetan Sakariya.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Kane Williamson will lead SRH for the remainder of the season. (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

David Warner is likely to be dropped for this match in favour of either Jason Holder and Mohammad Nabi. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, come back into the XI if he's fit. SRH could also opt to bring Shahbaz Nadeem back in place of Jagadeesha Suchith.

With the change in captaincy, there's likely to be a few chopping and changing for this match.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Jonny Bairstow (WK)/ David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha/ Priyam Garg, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson (C), Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Mohammad Nabi/ Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem/ Jagadeesha Suchith, Khaleel Ahmed/ Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma/ Siddharth Kaul.

IPL 2021: RR vs SRH Match Prediction

Despite the two teams enduring underwhelming campaigns, SRH look like a stronger side than RR. With the tournament reaching the halfway stage, both teams need to start winning matches. The change in team composition should provide more balance to the SRH lineup, and they might edge out RR in this match.