IPL 2017 | Match 33 Preview: Kings XI Punjab vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

04/28/2017

Coming back from a four-day break, Kings XI Punjab will look to exact revenge for the five-run defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad earlier in the season. This is the first match at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali and expected to be a high-scoring encounter.

Currently languishing in the bottom half of the points table, with three wins and four losses, Punjab, riding on the yet another special from Hashim Amla defeated Gujarat Lions in their last encounter. The bowling has been the main cause of concern for the hosts, with all the pacers going for runs throughout the tournament, leaving the spinning duo of Axar Patel and KC Cariappa to do most of the work.

Hyderabad are third in the table with nine points, winning four out of the eight games so far and sharing the points in a rain-abandoned outing against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Hyderabad’s bowlers, unsurprisingly, have been doing well with Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the pack with 16 wickets. He has been impeccable at the death, Rashid Khan has impressed with his variations, while the other Afghan, Nabi has also chipped in when called on. They will need all the bowling expertise they have, considering the batting might that Maxwell, Vohra and Amla have displayed on occasion this season.

Head to Head:

Hyderabad have always been firm favourites over the Punjab side, having won seven out of nine matches thus far.

Last Meeting:

Bhuvneshwar Kumar's incredible bowling display (5 for 19) helped Sunrisers defend a total of 159 despite Manan Vohra's 50-ball 95.

Fan Predictions:

As part of the preview, we bring to you fan predictions for the talking points of the game. The predictions are sourced from the newest fantasy game on the block – Nostragamus. If you want to make your predictions and win prizes, click here.

Who will win?

In their entire shared IPL history, KXIP have won just 2 matches while SRH have won 7. SRH still has not lost a match at home and they are one of the teams in the IPL who have a perfect balance of good bowling and batting. On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab's batting has been solid in the past 2 games with Amla, Maxwell and Vohra all putting on a show in recent times. Despite that, we predict SRH will win this closely fought battle as they have one of the best bowling units in the IPL, if not the best, which can neutralize any batting line-up on their day.

Fans verdict: The fans are with Hyderabad on this one, with 71% believing they will secure a vital victory.

Who will score more runs?

A: Hashim Amla B: David Warner

Amla (299) is at the top of the list for maximum runs scored in this IPL while Warner (282) is at 2nd. Plus, Amla has an avg. of 48 vs SRH while Warner averages 47 vs KXIP. While Warner has been consistent throughout the tournament, Amla has hit a purple patch, scoring 65 and 104 in his previous 2 games. This will be a tough choice but we predict Amla's purple patch will continue and he will score more than David Warner.

Fans verdict: Every good thing must come to an end, and 62% fans believe it is time for Amla's rude health to end as well.

Predicted XI:

KXIP: Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell (c), Marcus Stoinis/Darren Sammy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, KC Cariappa, T Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma

SRH: David Warner (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Moises Henriques, Yuvraj Singh, Ben Cutting/Mohammad Nabi, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha (wk), Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra

Pre-match chatter:

"Out of the remaining seven matches we will have to win 4-5, only then can we qualify for the playoffs. What is more important than the win is the process to achieve that, which is playing good cricket in all departments. In the last match, we showed that." - Virender Sehwag, KXIP's Head of cricket of operations.

Key players:

Axar Patel (KXIP): Since Sunrisers have two left-handed batsmen at the top-order, who failed to pick the spinners correctly, so, Kings XI Punjab might open the bowling with Axar Patel to keep a stump-to-stump line. If he can get rid of David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan, the job will be half done by then.

Ashish Nehra (SRH): Glenn Maxwell has continued his struggle against the left-arm pacers in the IPL. So, Nehra might trouble him tonight at the traditionally pacer-friendly wicket of Mohali.

Time: 8 PM

Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

TV Listings: Sony Six HD, Sony Six, Set Max, Sony ESPN