SRH (Sunrisers Hyderabad) vs PK (Punjab Kings) Match Prediction

SRH

45%

Chance of Winning

PK

55%

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Apr 09, 202305:00 PM

India

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium

Punjab Kings will have an unlikely third victory on the trot in their sights when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on April 9 with the encounter scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST. The hosts suffered a devastating loss in their opener but with the return of their South African contingent, they would be hoping for a reversal in fortunes.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Chance of Winning

Despite heavily contrasting starts to their campaigns, Sunrisers Hyderabad would likely have the upper hand on Sunday. The side would be boosted by the return of their skipper Aiden Markram, as well as emerging all-round star Marco Jansen and destructive wicket-keeper batter Heinrich Klaasen. Punjab Kings, meanwhile, face a big headache with regard to fitting Kagiso Rabada into the lineup given the exemplary display by Nathan Ellis in the previous match and look doomed to struggle with team balance irrespective of the decision they end up taking.

• Sunrisers Hyderabad’s chances of winning @ 45.98% (Melbet)
• Punjab Kings’ chances of winning @ 59.35% (Melbet)

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Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Prediction & Betting Tips 2023

Punjab Kings have started off their campaign with two wins in two but there are still questions around their team composition. The side clearly lacks renowned firepower at the top of the order even though they have had some special innings in the two games so far. Prabhsimran Singh continued in his good vein of form to score a rapid 60 in the game against Rajasthan Royals while his skipper Shikhar Dhawan stepped on the accelerator late in the innings to end unbeaten on 86 off just 56 deliveries. In their first game, it was Bhanuka Rajapaksa who and come up with the goods with a valiant half-century to save his team from sinking. However, while Singh is yet to prove himself consistently against the elites, having only just broken into the IPL, none of Jitesh Sharma and Shahrukh Khan boast the ability to pile on big scores. Rajapaksa averages a paltry 23.36 in T20s as well, thus making the team highly susceptible to a batting collapse as was the case last year – Punjab Kings lost the second most wickets on average in 2022, only behind Kolkata Knightriders.

As for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the franchise faced the same issue as well last year but have done enough to address it. They started by securing asolid top-order anchor for themselves in Mayank Agarwal who has in the past proven his credentials despite a poor last season. In Aiden Markram, they not only have the SA20 winning skipper but also the best performing batter in the tournament, coming fresh from a 175 off just 126 deliveries in an ODI against Netherlands on April 2. Heinrich Klaasen has been in stupendous, having ended his SA20 campaign with a century in February before tallying another in an ODI against West Indies last month. Add to that the sheer prowess of Harry Brook, who currently averages over 30 at a strike rate of 147.28 after 100 T20s, and one could argue the Sunrisers boast of the best batting lineup in the entire league.

It is wondrous, then, how the side is equally efficient as well and capable of standing toe to toe with Punjab. While the Kings do have premier Indian pacer Arshdeep Singh and death bowling maestro Sam Curran, neither have worked out well in the two games so far. Nathan Ellis has bore the brunt of the team’s burden with five scalps in two games but it is amusing how he is the favourite to be benched for the encounter against Punjab in favour of the world-renowned Kagiso Rabada. Hyderabad, meanwhile, would be greatly relieved by the exemplary performance of T Natarajan in the previous game and would be hoping for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umran Malik to come good too. The latter should prove to be extremely lethal on the flat tracks at his IPL home, considering his sheer pace gives him an X-factor no toher player in the two lineups possesses. In Adil Rashid, SRH have the world’s fifth-ranked T20I bowler who ruled the charts for a considerable portion of the past two years.

Thus, all matchups considered, SRH blatantly hold the edge over their rivals in the batting department and that should prove to be the difference in the high-scoring Rajiv Gandhi stadium, even though they have bene handed inferior odds of 2.175 while PBKS boast odds of 1.685.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Match Toss Prediction

Both T20Is that have taken placed at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium were won by teams bowling first, as was the case in the first match of IPL 2023 there where Royals romped to a 73-run victory over SRH. Thus, expect the side winning the toss on Sunday to put a big total on the board and attempt to defend it in the second innings.

Weather Report

A warm but clear evening awaits players in Hyderabad in Sunday, with the temperature gradually falling from 32 °C at the start of the game to 28°C by its end, as perworldweatheronline.The wind speed is forecasted to hover around the 15 km/h mark throughout accompanied by the occasional strong gust. Spending over three hours on the field could prove to quite an ordeal for the players, however, considering humidity is expected to be over 30%.

Sunrisers Hyderabad News & Player List

Sunrisers Hyderabad squad:Aiden Markram (C), Abdul Samad, Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh, Harry Brook, Nitish Reddy, Rahul Tripathi, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Vivrant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Heinrich Klaasen, Glenn Phillips, Upendra Yadav, Akeal Hosein, Mayank Dagar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan, Adil Rashid, Umran Malik

Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted Playing XI:

Sunrisers Hyderabad Team Form

Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost four of their last five IPL games, including the 2023 season opener to Rajasthan Royals by a mammoth 73 runs.

Punjab Kings News & Player List

Punjab Kings squad: Shikhar Dhawan (C), Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Shivam Singh, Mohit Rathee, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Gurnoor Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Nathan Ellis, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar

Predicted Playing XI

Punjab Kings Team Form

The Punjab Kings ended last season with a win and have continued in that same vein of form in 2023, triumphing in both their encounters so far to make it four wins in their last five games..

SRH vs PBKS Head to Head

Sunrisers Hyderabad have played the Punjab Kings 20 times across IPL history, emerging victorious on a commendable 13 occasions.

Matches played - 20

SRH wins - 13

PBKS wins - 7

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Betting Odds

Punjab Kings to hit more sixes than SRH

After 13 underwhelming seasons in the IPL with no titles, Punjab Kings management took a decision to overhaul their philosophy last year and build a powerpacked squad that can decimate bowling oppositions on their day. Thus, regardless of how any of their matches now pan out, boundaries and big hits are guaranteed. In the first two games of the season, the side has already cleared the fence 16 times with nine strikes in the first game and seven in the second. Hyderabad, meanwhile, managed to dispatch the ball beyond the ropes only four times, of which two sixes came off Umran Malik’s bat. Even last season, the Punjab Kings had managed the fourth most sixes in the entire tournament with 110 while the Sunrisers occupied the second last position on the table with just 97, nearly averaging a whole six per game less than their opposition. Thus, except Punjab Kings to run away with the six-hitting contest on Sunday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Top Team Batters

Aiden Markram to be Sunrisers Hyderabad’s top batter

After the side crumbled with the bat in the first game, their hopes would rest on the return of their new skipper Aiden Markram into the squad and his elite form of late. The Proteas batter ended SA20 as the third-highest run getter enroute to the title, with 366 from 12 games at an average of 33.27. He struck a century as well in the league off just 58 balls before carrying over the same momentum to the national squad. The batter started off with a Test century against West Indies followed by a 96 in the next game, and has managed 614 runs in his last 10 international innings at an average of 87.71. His latest outing resulted in a career-defining 175 in an ODI against the Netherlands, setting up the stage perfectly for a grand entry into IPL 2023.

Shikhar Dhawan to be Punjab Kings’ top batter

Shikhar Dhawan is as reliable a batter as batters come in the IPL. He has the third most 50-plus scores in the tournament’s history as he registered his 50th in the latest game against Rajasthan Royals with a flamboyant 86 off 56 deliveries. He is already in the running for the orange cap, having also struck 40 in the opening game, taking his IPL tally to 6,370 runs at an average of 35.58 – the second most in IPL history, only behind Virat Kohli. The Kings’ skipper is the only anchor in their entire batting lineup, which is stacked with pinch-hitters, making him the safest bet to top-score for the franchise on Sunday by far.

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings Top Team Bowlers

T Natarajan to be Sunrisers Hyderabad’s top bowler

There is no denying that T Natarajan leaks more runs than ideal but what the pacer does guarantee is wickets regardless of situation or opposition. Deployed as a strike bowler by the Sunrisers, the 32-year-old had scalped 18 wickets in the previous edition of the tournament for the franchise at an average of 22.55, the second best in the entire team after Umran Malik. In the first game of te ongoing season as well, he emerged as the side’s best bowler woith figures of 2/23 despite bowling just three overs. An excellent T20I average of 17.42 after four games is no fluke and the left-arm seamer would be hoping to have another successful outing against Punjab Kings.

Arshdeep Singh to be Punjab Kings’ top bowler

With both Nathan Ellis and Kagiso Rabada battling for the same spot in the lineup, Arshdeep Singh is the safest choice for ending up as the team’s best bowler in the match. The pacer was instrumental in the team’s success in the first two games, first deflating KKR’s power-packed batting unit with 3/19 and then keeping Rajasthan Royals at bay with two crucial wickets enroute to a narrow victory. The five scalps makes him the team’s highest-wicket taker in the season so far alongside Nathan Ellis, taking his career T20 tally to 102 scalps at an average of 21.76. The left-arm speedster is one of a few in India and is destined to trouble batsmen with his angles, movement and 90mph pace at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Punjab Kings

Sunrisers Hyderabad made massive improvements to their side heading into the new season, acquiring the likes of Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen, Adil Rashid and Mayank Agarwal for big bucks at the IPL auction. They crumbled with the bat in the opening game but then the side was without Markram and Klaasen, while Brook was also making his tournament debut. With the expectation that he would be getting into his groove by the time he plays his third game on Sunday alongside his Proteas counterparts, the side’s batting suddenly looks formidable. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have relied on unlikely heroes in each of their two games and have obvious deficiencies in their lineup. Thus, we believe the Hyderabad outfit would make full use of home conditions and come out on top in the 14th IPL game of the season, despite being afforded unfavourable odds of 2.175 by the bookmakers as compared to Kings’ 1.685.

• Sunrisers Hyderabad to win @ 2.175 (Melbet)
• Punjab Kings to win @ 1.685 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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