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Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 50th match of IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 2. SRH are fifth in the points table, having won five and lost four of their nine matches, while RR are the table toppers with eight wins from nine games.
After having breached a number of records, Sunrisers Hyderabad's batting has come under the scanner in the last couple of matches. They went down to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 35 runs in a home game. In their previous match, they suffered a 78-run loss to Chennai Super Kings at the Chepauk, faltering in a chase of 213.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan have won four straight matches. In their last two games in IPL 2024, they thumped Mumbai Indians by nine wickets in Jaipur and followed it up with a seven-wicket triumph over Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.
If we look at the head-to-head record between the two sides, there's nothing to pick, as both SRH and RR have won nine games each. As the teams gear up to resume their tense rivalry, we pick a combined XI of the two sides for IPL 2024:
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Openers: Travis Head, Jos Buttler
SRH's Travis Head and RR's Jos Buttler would form a dynamic opening duo in the combined XI.
Head has 338 runs at an average of 42.25 and an exceptional strike rate of 211.25. The left-hander has been dismissed cheaply in the last two matches, though, and will be keen to make amends.
Buttler, meanwhile, has notched up 319 runs in eight innings, averaging 53.17 at a strike rate of 150.47. The swashbuckling batter has slammed two superb hundreds in IPL 2024, against Bengaluru and Kolkata. He has contributed handy 30s during his last two visits to the crease as well.
Middle order & All-rounders: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed
RR skipper Sanju Samson would be the captain and wicketkeeper in the combined Hyderabad-Rajasthan XI.
Samson has been stupendous form with the willow. In nine innings, he has hammered 385 runs at an average of 77 and a strike rate of 161.09. The 29-year-old has been unbeaten in three of his last five innings. Against LSG, he was the Player of the Match for his 71* off 33.
SRH big hitter Heinrich Klaasen also finds a place in the combined XI. In nine innings, the right-handed batter has notched up 295 runs, averaging 42.14 at a strike rate of 185.53. He has three half-centuries, but in his last three innings Klaasen has registered a highest score of 20. The Proteas player will be keen to improve his consistency.
After some low scores, RR's Dhruv Jurel impressed with 52* off 34 in the triumph over LSG. He hit five fours and two sixes and featured in an unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 121 with Samson. Jurel will be keen to build on his batting rhythm if the opportunity arises against SRH.
The Hyderabad duo of Shahbaz Ahmed and Nitish Kumar Reddy would be the batting all-rounders in the combined XI. While Ahmed has not been too effective with the ball in IPL 2024, he has contributed some handy knocks. Meanwhile, Reddy has chipped in with both runs and wickets.
Bowlers: Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal, T Natarajan
Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma and T Natarajan would be the frontline pacers in the combined XI, while Yuzvendra Chahal would be the lead spinner.
Boult has claimed 10 wickets in nine matches at an average of 25. He has chipped in with key wickets at the start in the number of games and will be expected to continue doing so.
Medium pacer Sandeep returned from injury to dismantle Mumbai Indians with figures of 5-18 in Jaipur. In RR's last match against LSG, he picked up the big wickets of Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran.
SRH left-arm pacer Natarajan has been among the wickets in all the matches he has played. In seven matches, he has claimed 13 scalps at an average of 19.38. Natarajan picked up 4-19 against Delhi and 2-39 against Bengaluru before proving slightly expensive against Chennai.
Seasoned RR leg-spinner Chahal is having another impactful season. In nine matches, he has claimed 13 wickets at an average of 23.54. The 33-year-old has been a bit expensive in the last few matches and will be keen to return to his best.
