IPL 6: Match 68 - SRH vs RR - Rajasthan Royals Preview

Rajasthan Royals will be pushing hard for a top 2 finish in the league stage when they take the field against Sunrisers Hyderabad today at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. On the other hand, SRH will try to march one step closer to a play-off spot, as a win here will take their points tally to 18, which might be enough if RCB lose to CSK tomorrow.

RR are coming off a heartbreaking loss against MI in their last game, while SRH also played against MI in their last game coincidentally, which they lost by 7 wickets. RR are currently holding the 3rd spot on the points table, and have already made it to the play-offs. SRH are placed 4th with 8 wins so far.

RR will be going into the match today with 3 of their players unavailable for selection, as S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan were arrested for alleged spot-fixing yesterday. It might be a bit tough for Dravid and co. to get over all the bad things which have been making news since yesterday, and get on with the game.

There haven’t been much reasons to ponder over for RR regarding their batting so far, as their batsmen have been delivering all the goods. Ajinkya Rahane and Rahul Dravid have been simply brilliant at the top. Shane Watson is their power player and has been going hammer and tongs all through the tournament. 18 year old Sanju Sampson has been the find of the IPL this year while Stuart Binny, along with Brad Hodge, has been finishing the innings very well for them.

In the bowling department, James Faulkner has been their pick of the bowlers, chipping in with some crucial breakthroughs more often than not. Siddharth Trivedi has turned out be a pretty useful option in the middle overs with his clever changes of pace. Shane Watson and Kevon Cooper have been complimenting Faulkner very well in the pace department, and the three have formed a potent combination among them. It will be interesting to see who they will play today in place of Ajit Chandila, who has been their lead spinner all through the tournament. Praveen Tambe went for runs in the last match, which might lead to some selection woes.

Conditions:

The pitch here has been very slow and low so far, and is expected to behave no different today. Batsmen may find it hard to time the ball, but those ready to bide their time at the crease can pile up some significant scores.

Key players:

Shane Watson - This dashing Australian right-hander has taken over the reins of Rajasthan’s batting since the time he arrived. With his knocks of 98* and 101 in the last two games, the batting powerhouse will be expected to be their mainstay today as well.

James Faulkner - He has been the lead bowler for the Blues so far. He has been chipping in with a wicket or two in almost every game and will be crucial for his side’s chances today.

RR’s strategy:

They should look to bowl first upon winning the toss on a slow and turning track. RR have played on wickets with good bounce and carry so far and they might find themselves in an unknown territory if they choose to bat first.

Head to head:

It is heavily loaded in favour of RR, as they have won 8 out of the 10 games played between the two teams so far. SRH( previously DC) has managed to win only 2 out of them.

Possible XI:

They have been winning more often this season, and are likely to keep the core of the team same today as well. However, unavailability of their three players, who have been arrested due to alleged spot-fixing, might prompt a change or two.

Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Dravid(c), Shane Watson, Brad Hodge, Dishant Yagnik(wk), Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Praveen Tambe and Siddharth Trivedi.