PBKS vs SRH IPL Match Prediction: Who will win today's Punjab vs Hyderabad IPL 2022 match?

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have won three on the bounce in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). Yes, SRH, who finished rock-bottom in 2021 and looked all at sea during their first two games this year, have won three in a row. That's largely been because of the toss advantage, with the team having aced chase after chase, but the Orange Army should be given credit where it's due.

After an indifferent start, SRH are gelling well as a unit. Kane Williamson and Abhishek Sharma have provided substance at the top of the order, while Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi and Nicholas Pooran have taken on their new roles brilliantly. The pace attack has come together quite well, with Umran Malik ably supporting Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan and Marco Jansen.

When SRH lock horns with the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 28th natch of IPL 2022 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, April 17, the toss advantage will be nullified by the fact that it's a day game. Kane Williamson and Co. will thus have a massive test of resolve and gameplans on their hands.

Barring a couple of incredible collapses as they attempt to strike the right balance with their attack-oriented approach, PBKS have been one of the most entertaining teams to watch in IPL 2022. Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan finally showed some fluency in the previous game to back up the fearsome middle order, and if Jonny Bairstow can step up too, the Kings could have all bases covered in the batting department.

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IPL 2022 Match Prediction: PBKS vs SRH

Can PBKS handle Umran Malik's raw pace?

While batting is slowly coming together for PBKS, bowling remains a bit of a concern. Odean Smith scalped a few wickets in the previous game against the Mumbai Indians (MI) but he remains the weak link in the bowling attack, with Vaibhav Arora's early influence slowly dwindling.

In contrast, powerplay bowling is something SRH have been excellent at, and this could be the perfect antithesis to PBKS' no-holds-barred approach against the new ball. Bhuvneshwar has generated appreciable swing upfront even as his economy rate has taken a hit, and both Jansen and Natarajan have chipped in with breakthroughs.

However, without Washington Sundar, who continues to recover from a split webbing, SRH's spin attack looks very thin. Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and the rest of the PBKS batting lineup are excellent against pace on the ball, and SRH might find it difficult to stem the flow of runs in the middle overs.

Rahul Chahar, meanwhile, will be key for PBKS. The leg-spinner was tonked around the park by Dewald Brevis but recovered well to bowl three economical overs and he won't find it easy to counter the likes of Tripathi and Markram. If he comes up with a wicket or two, the Kings could run away with the game given how weak SRH's lower-middle order looks.

Since the toss isn't going to play a big role this time, PBKS will start as the favorites. SRH may not have the resources needed to defend a total, and they might also not be able to chase down something big. Mayank could be the happier captain on Sunday.

Prediction: PBKS to win Match 28 of IPL 2022