After a long break of 5 days, the Rising Pune Supergiants would have gained much-needed rejuvenation who have had a slow start to the IPL this year. RPS is ready to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in today’s Match of VIVO IPL 2017. The team went for an overhaul with a new Captain and England All-rounder Ben Stokes for a whopping amount, but the fortunes still haven’t been on the bright side. It hasn’t been the smoothest of starts for RPS.
RPS have two wins including the most recent of them against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Their bowling attack seems the major worry as they have gone at nearly 9 runs an over. They have been particularly expensive during the death overs. We shall hope the RPS Captain and the team management would have sat down during the break and worked out strategies to plug the leaking of runs early on and at the back end.
They face the Sunrisers Hyderabad, winners of the last edition, and the third-placed side currently in the points table. SRH have four wins from six matches with their Captain David Warner leading the team on his back.
RPS vs SRH Head to Head –
Matches played – 2
Rising Pune Supergiants won – 1
Sunrisers Hyderabad won – 1
Check Here: MI Vs DD match prediction
RPS journey so far-
Played – 5
Won- 2
Lost -3
There is plenty of quality in the RPS batting line-up, yet the team will be best served if one of captain Steven Smith or Ajinkya Rahane bats long and makes a big score. The bowling attack presents a bit of a worry, but if the bowlers are able to replicate their performance from the match against RCB, RPS will find themselves in a very good position.
Batting- Perhaps the biggest concern for the RPS team has been the horrid form of MS Dhoni, who has managed to eke out just 61 runs in five games, and has looked a pale shadow of his old self. The batting has revolved around Ajinkya Rahane, the highest run-getter last season, as well as captain Steve Smith, who has looked as comfortable in colored clothing as he was in the white attire just a month back. They also have in their ranks the hard-hitting Ben Stokes, who can end the innings with a bang.
Bowling- Pune’s bowling line-up has been dodgy: Ashoke Dinda has brushed aside at the start of the tournament, but Shardul Thakur has looked impressive in the limited opportunities that he has got and is likely to be continued with. Imran Tahir has looked to make the most impact on the lot but hasn’t received as much support from the spinners. Given that Hyderabad has three out of the top five batsmen as lefties, he would have to up his game further.
Probable XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith (C), Manoj Tiwary, MS Dhoni (wk), Ben Stokes, Daniel Christian, Shardul Thakur, Jaydev Unadkat, Rahul Chahar, Imran Tahir.
SRH journey so far-
Played – 6
Won- 4
Lost -2
David Warner’s side looks a well-balanced team on paper, and it looks a formidable side on the field too. They have played like defending champions; the team must be buoyed by the thrilling wins in their last two matches. Sunrisers have not won a match on the road this season, and they will be keen to fix that anomaly in this match. The Hyderabad side has won two, then lost the next two, and then won the following two games. Hope, the pattern won’t continue.
Batting- In David Warner, Shikhar Dhawan and Kane Williamson – who scored a fluent half-century in his first outing this season, Sunrisers Hyderabad have three batsmen who are among the runs. However, Warner will be the most valuable wicket in SRH line-up; the captain is among the top run-getters this season, and if he gets going, he can run away with the game. Yuvraj Singh, after a blistering 60 in the first match, has turned pale, but trust the southpaw to return to his elements.
Bowling- On the bowling front, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been spectacular especially while bowling at the death. He is the top wicket-taker this season with 15 scalps. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been in devastating form with the ball this season. He has applied the initial pressure with the new ball and has been as effective with his yorkers in the death. Assisting him is Rashid Khan and, to some extent, Siddharth Kaul.
Probable XI: David Warner (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Deepak Hooda, Moises Henriques, Naman Ojha (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Siddharth Kaul.
AllIndiaRoundup Predicts:
Well, every cricket loving Indian is a cricket expert and every expert has his own predictions for IPL. Right from cricket pundits sitting in com boxes to the waiters at a local Mumbai cafe, everyone is an expert in India. We @AIR thought why not try out our luck by predicting these matches. Of course, we would appreciate your support in making these calls. You can comment and tell us who is that you think will win today’s match.
RPS vs SRH Match Predictions-
Both the team Captains believe in leading by example and have been in good form in recent times. It will be interesting to see which of the two players has the larger impact in the game. Also, keep an eye on the two leg-spinners SRH’s Rashid Khan and RPS’ Imran Tahir. It will be interesting to see how Rashid bounces back after going wicket-less in the previous match. Tahir is the world’s top-ranked bowler in T20s, and he certainly will want to fare better than the teenager in the opposite camp.
OUR WINNER – Sunrisers Hyderabad
Check Here: MI Vs DD match prediction
WHY?
- Strong batting line-up added with Kane Williamson.
- The balance in all departments.
- Best bowling performance so far.
- RPS bad bowling show.
RPS vs SRH Score prediction –
First batting:
RPS –160-175
SRH – 180+
Our Star performers Today-
Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Imran Tahir
David Warner, Kane Williamson, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan.