IPL 2017 | Match 44 Preview : Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rising Pune Supergiant

05/06/2017

Playoff aspirants Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rising Pune Supergiant will lock horns at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad today for their second meeting of the season after some sensational batting by MS Dhoni helped Pune beat the defending champions in the previous encounter.

Pune have grown into a formidable unit since that match. Although concerns remain over their bowling and fielding, the Maharashtra side has clicked as a batting unit with young Rahul Tripathi the linchpin.

Hyderabad have been in terrific form across all departments. While skipper David Warner leads the charge in batting, the bowling has also been top-notch.

Head-to-head:

Pune lead 2-1.

Last meeting:

MS Dhoni struck a 34-ball 61 as Pune chased down 177 for a four-wicket win.

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?

RPS hold a 2-1 advantage over SRH in the 3 Head-to-Head encounters in the IPL. In this season of the IPL, SRH have won 6 matches and lost 4, whereas RPS have won 7 matches and have also lost only 4. RPS are coming off from a brilliant victory against a strong KKR side while SRH are coming off from a loss against a DD. RPS have won their last 3 matches but SRH have lost twice in the last 3 matches. Clearly, the momentum seems to be in the favour of RPS, hence we predict a victory for RPS.

Fans verdict: The fans are not with us on this one, as 59% think SRH will win.

Which skipper will score more runs?

A. Warner B. Smith C. Equal

In IPL 2017, Warner has scored 489 runs (orange cap holder) whereas Smith has scored 333 runs. In the reverse fixture, Warner had scored 43 runs whereas Smith scored 29. Also when we compare Warner's recent form to that of Smith, the clear winner seems to be David Warner. Warner's scores in the last 5 matches are 4,43,51,126 and 30 whereas Smith's scores in the last 5 matches are 17,51*,45,4 and 9. Hence we predict Warner to outscore Smith in this fixture.

Fans verdict: The fans are with us on, as 81% think Warner will outscore Smith.

Predicted XI:

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Naman Ojha (wk), Bipul Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Ashish Nehra, Siddarth Kaul.

Rising Pune Supergiant: Rahul Tripathi, Ajinkya Rahane, Steve Smith (C), Manoj Tiwary, Ben Stokes, MS Dhoni (wk), Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar, Imran Tahir, Jaydev Unadkat, Shardul Thakur.

Pre-match chatter:

“We've bowled particularly well in certain aspects of the 20 overs and there are certain parts that we need to improve on, and if not consider the balance of the side. We can't afford to have the good work of say, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan to sort of unravel in another department.” - Tom Moody, Hyderabad coach

“It's an important game for us. We're close to playoffs. SRH are a good side at home, so it will be good to win against them.” - Rahul Tripathi, Pune batsman

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International stadium, Hyderabad

Time: 4 pm

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