Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Indian Premier League (IPL), Today Match Prediction 27 Apr 2019

rr vs srh Match Prediction & Analysis

The 45th game of Indian Premier League (IPL) will see Rajasthan Royals take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Saturday. 

In their last match, Hyderabad’s winning streak came to end, courtesy Shane Watson’s splendid innings which helped Chennai Super Kings in registering a six wicket-run victory. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led side will have to learn from their mistakes and make a strong comeback against Rajasthan Royals.

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals defeated Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous game played at Eden Gardens. Ajinkya Rahane and co. will need to win this game to keep their playoff hopes alive.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Rajasthan Royals Preview

Rajasthan Royals have suffered from inconsistency with bat and ball and have managed to win only four out of eleven games played this season. Skipper Ajinkya Rahane will be keen to improve the team’s performance after managing to beat Kolkata in their previous game.

Going into this game, Rajasthan has a lot of issues with regards to their batting and bowling. Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer will not be available for Rajasthan Royals for the remaining games of the competition due to their international commitments for England. The team management will have to make changes to their playing XI for the next game.

Ajinkya Rahane has been a consistent performer for the side in this year’s competition. He is currently franchise’s leading run-scorer with 352 runs in 11 innings at an average of 35.20. 

Rahane once again delivered a good performance in the previous game played against Kolkata. He scored 34 off 21 balls with the help of five fours and a six and added 53 runs with Sanju Samson to see Rajasthan get off to a decent start in the chase.

Sanju Samson is a promising player in the batting lineup for Rajasthan Royal. The right-hander will be eyeing a big score after a string of low scores in the last two matches.

Rahul Tripathi might be slotted into the playing XI as all-rounder Ben Stokes will fly back to the UK  to join England’s squad in order prepare for the upcoming one-day series against Pakistan.

All-rounder Krishnappa Gowtham has struggled to get going with the bat, and the franchise will be hoping that he can deliver something in his comeback game. His bowling has not been up to the mark in this year’s competition, which has compounded more problems in the bowling department.

The big positive from the previous game for Rajasthan was promising batsman Riyan Parag producing crucial runs with the bat. He produced a match-winning performance for the side and scored 47 off 31 balls with the help of five fours and two sixes. Parag put on crucial partnerships with Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer to help Rajasthan eke out a three-wicket win over Kolkata.

The lower-order also came to Rajasthan’s rescue as Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer chipped in with crucial cameos to help Rajasthan register their fourth win of the season.

Pace bowler Varun Aaron was impressive with the ball and picked up two wickets in the last game against Kolkata, whereas Oshane Thomas, Shreyas Gopal and Jofra Archer delivered tidy performances to restrict Kolkata to a modest total.

Rajasthan Royals Predicted Playing XI:

Ajinkya Rahane (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Steven Smith, Krishnappa Gowtham, Rahul Tripathi, Riyan Parag, Varun Aaron, Stuart Binny, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Oshane Thomas

Rajasthan Royals Actual Playing XI:

Ajinkya Rahane, Steven Smith, STR Binny, Liam Livingstone, JD Unadkat, SV Samson, VR Aaron, AJ Turner, S Gopal, Oshane Thomas, Riyan Parag

Sunrisers Hyderabad Preview

On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad is currently lying fourth in the league table and have managed to secure five wins out of ten games played in the competition.

Hyderabad suffered a comprehensive defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings in their previous game played at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Opener Jonny Bairstow will be focused to score runs in this game after registering a duck in the game played against Chennai Super Kings.

David Warner is the leading run-scorer for Hyderabad with 574 runs in 10 games with seven half-centuries to his name. The side will be relying on Warner to deliver runs with the bat. Pugnacious left-hander has scored five half-centuries in a row and will be keen to continue his rich vein of form in this game.

All-rounder Vijay Shankar and middle-order batsman Manish Pandey have been inconsistent for the team, and therefore, better things will be expected of them. The duo certainly delivered crucial performances for the side in the previous game played against Chennai.

The big positive for Sunrisers Hyderabad from the previous game was Pandey finding form with the bat. He scored 83 off 84 balls with the help of seven fours and three sixes. It was largely due to Pandey’s batting efforts that helped Sunrisers post a competitive score on the board. 

All-rounder Vijay Shankar also chipped in with 26 off 25 balls with the help of two fours and a six.

Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan has done well after being slotted into the starting eleven. He will be looking to contribute with bat and ball in this game.

Captain Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed have been impressive for Sunrisers with the new-ball in this year’s competition. Sandeep Sharma and Rashid Khan will need to make improvements after conceding a lot of runs in the previous game played against Chennai.

Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted Playing XI:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (captain), David Warner, Manish Pandey, Vijay Shankar, Yusuf Pathan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Sunrisers Hyderabad Actual Playing XI:

Khaleel Ahmed, Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, WP Saha, Siddarth Kaul, Shakib Al Hasan, KS Williamson, Deepak Hooda, David Warner

Weather Conditions

The pitch prepared for this game will certainly favor the batsmen. The bowlers will need to use their variations on this placid surface. The weather forecast for the game to be played on Saturday is going to be bright and sunny.

Venue

Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur has not been a happy hunting ground for Rajasthan Royals in this year’s competition. Rajasthan Royals have struggled from inconsistency and managed to secure only two wins out of six games played at this venue. The side also lost their previous to Delhi Capitals played in Jaipur.

Toss: To Bowl

The side that wins the toss would be looking to bowl first and restrict the opposition to a lowest possible score. Majority of the games played in Jaipur has been won sides batting second. Spinners will certainly find it tough to contain batsmen on such a flat surface.