Rajasthan Royals, who have many match-winners in their ranks, meet Sunrisers Hyderabad in a clash of previous champions on Tuesday as both teams look to get off to a winning start in the IPL.
The Royals’ batting fortunes will be primarily determined by the performance of their promising skipper, Sanju Samson, who has been around for a long time but has yet to live up to the hype.
His Achilles’ heel has been inconsistency, and he’d like to remedy that this season by leading from the front in their quest for their first championship since the initial edition in 2008.
Every year, Samson plays one or two game-changing innings, but if the Royals are to win their second crown, he’ll have to go above and beyond. With the T20 World Cup coming up later this year, good performances in the IPL could help Samson solidify a spot in the Indian team.
Butler and Devdutt Padikkal are the most likely openers for the Jaipur-based team. A rampaging Buttler can rip through any bowling attack, and if he and the stylish Padikkal can get off to fast starts, the Royals will be well served with Samson and the rest to come.
The Royals have a number of middle-order options, including power hitter Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie Van der Dussen, Jimmy Neesham, and Riyan Parag, whose contributions might make or break the team’s fortunes.
With the addition of star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal, they have a stronger bowling unit this time around, and the duo are certainties in the playing XI.
Their eight overs would be critical in the context of a game, and nothing would please skipper Samson more than if the duo could spin a web around the SRH hitters. Trent Boult, the former captain of the Mumbai Indians, will lead the pace attack, which comprises Prasidh Krishna and Navdeep Saini.
The expertise of captain Kane Williamson, the team’s top batter, would be crucial for SRH. His work with the willow and as a leader might make a big difference in the team’s success.
A Williamson compatriot may begin the batting, while Nicholas Pooran, Priyam Garg, and Rahul Tripathi, all hard-hitting West Indians, would be expected to lead the middle order. Tripathi has also made big contributions in the IPL, but now is the time for him to establish consistency.
If Williamson opts to bat at No. 3, Ravikumar Samarth will open the innings, while Abdul Samad, who has pleased many, will serve as the franchise’s finisher.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, one of the best death bowlers in the world, will lead the bowling attack. However, he, like new pace wonder Umran Malik, would have to deliver consistently for long periods.
Natarajan, a left-arm pacer on the comeback track, will be trying to get his yorkers correct in order to reclaim his spot in the national team. Another T20 specialist, Washington Sundar, might be a significant player for the Sunrisers, and one of Shreyas Gopal or J Suchith could be tested out.
The Teams (From)
Rajasthan royals :Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shubham Garwal, Dhruv Jurel, Kuldip Yadav, Kuldeep Sen, Tejas Baroka, Anunay Singh, KC Kariappa, Jos Buttler, Rassie Van der Dussen, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Karun Nair, Obed McCoy, Navdeep
Sunrisers Hyderabad :Kane Williamson (c), Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Priyam Garg, Vishnu Vinod, Glenn Phillips, R Samarth, Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Marco Jansen, J Suchith, Shreyas Gopal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sean Abbott, Kartik Tyagi, Saurabh Tiwary, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik, T Natarajan.
Published By – Damandeep Singh
Edited By- Kritika Kashyap
