In the 14th match of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League, we have two teams who currently sit at the bottom of the table. It is the Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad. These two teams just haven’t been able to get going yet. We are still in the early stages of the IPL and these two teams will look to gain momentum with a win. This match will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. It is the second game to be played in the afternoon and it will be interesting to see how the teams go about it.
Punjab Kings will be playing their first game at this venue and may find it difficult to adapt to the slow-turning tracks in Chennai. Punjab Kings who have not won a game since their victory against the Rajasthan Royals will certainly look to turn their fortunes. They just have to find the right balance. Their batting has been doing decently well, it is the bowling that has to click as a unit.
Sunrisers Hyderabad on the other hand has issues in the batting department. Their middle order looks weak. SRH is over-dependent on their top order. If Warner and Bairstow fail, they just fall apart. Kane Williamson’s injury is being monitored and if he is fit, his inclusion is a must. Their bowling looks great and the team will hope that they continue to do well.
Team Form and Composition
Punjab Kings seem to have not many issues with their batting. Mayank Agarwal who started the tournament poorly seems to have found his lost touch. He blasted his way to a 69 of just 36 deliveries. He batted extremely fluently and played a key role. KL Rahul also brought up his 23rd IPL fifty in the last game but he was criticized for his low strike rate. KL Rahul will want to improve on the strike rate part and bat a bit more freely. Deepak Hooda and Shah Rukh Khan finished the game brilliantly.
Sunrisers Hyderabad seems to have some problem with their batting. In the last match against Mumbai Indians, they were cruising at one stage of the game. Then they lost their skipper David Warner and everything seemed to fall apart. They needed just above 40 runs in the last 5 overs and they failed to make it. If Kane Williamson is fit he will certainly be included as he provides stability to the middle order. SRH will want their middle order to bat responsibly and not throw away their wicket. Jhonny Bairstow was a bright spot in their batting lineup as he helped the team get off to a flier with his boundaries in the powerplay.
Kane Williamson set to play first game of IPL 2021
Punjab Kings have their set of problems in the bowling department. Their bowlers were just unable to contain the runs against the Delhi Capitals as they were being hit all around the park by Shikhar Dhawan. Their experienced bowler Mohammad Shami also struggled at the death as Marcus Stoinis hit him for a couple of sixes. Punjab might look at the possibility of including another spinner as they know the Chepauk wicket is slow and favours the spinners.
Sunrisers Hyderabad has a decent bowling attack. Led by two top-quality bowlers namely Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rashid Khan they look settled. They included Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the last game and he might continue as the ball turns on the Chennai wicket. Rashid Khan will be playing a key role in the game. SRH will want their bowling department to keep the Punjab batting at bay throughout the game.
Head to Head: Punjab Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
Played: 16
SRH won: 11
PBKS won: 5
Sunrisers Hyderabad certainly has the upper hand when it comes to the history between the teams. They will keep that in mind as they look to secure their first win of the season. Punjab on the other hand should not let the history of the team affect their mindset. They should just focus on winning the game.
Weather and Pitch Report
The weather in Chennai is expected to be clear for a smooth game of cricket. The temperature is expected to be around 34 degrees with 63% humidity. The matches that have been played here this year have shown that batting first has a better record. The pitch will provide assistance to the spinners. It will be a slowish track and captains will want to bat first after winning the toss.
Team News
Punjab Kings: They might be tempted to play an extra spinner so Ravi Bishnoi might get a nod for this game
Sunrisers Hyderabad: SRH has no particular injuries and might field the same 11. Kane Williamson’s fitness is being monitored and they will want him to play as he strengthens their batting.
Squads
Punjab Kings –KL Rahul (C, WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Darshan Nalkane, Deepak Hooda, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Mandeep Singh, Murugan Ashwin, Prabhsimran Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Sarfaraz Khan, Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Riley Meredith Moises Henriques.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner (c), Kane Williamson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Manish Pandey, Sreevats Goswami (wk), Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Priyam Garg, Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Virat Singh, Jason Holder, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T. Natarajan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul, Basil Thampi, Jagadeesha Suchith, Kedar Jadhav, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, Jason Roy.
