IPL 2016, RPS vs SRH Playing 11: Probable XI for Rising Pune Supergiants and Sunrisers Hyderabad (Confirmed XI)

Confirmed Playing XI

RISING PUNE SUPERGIANTS XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Usman Khawaja, Saurabh Tiwary, MS Dhoni(w/c), Thisara Perera, George Bailey, Rajat Bhatia, Ravichandran Ashwin, Adam Zampa, Ashok Dinda, RP Singh.

SUNRISERS HYDERABAD XI: David Warner(c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha(w), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Barinder Sran, Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman.

The 40th match of the VIVO IPL 2016 will see a contest between Rising Pune Supergiants and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ADA-VDCA Stadium in Vishakapatnam. The Supergiants have been among the most inconsistent teams in the season as they have won only 3 out of the 10 matches played by them. The Sunrisers, on the other hand, have played some brilliant cricket in the 2016 IPL and are currently in 2nd place on the points table for the tournament. Pune have faced a lot of trouble due to injuries to some of their big buys at the auction such as Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith and Faf du Plessis. They will need to win just to keep themselves alive in the tournament. Sunrisers, though, will be looking to move closer to a spot in the playoffs.

Here's how Rising Pune Supergiants may line up for the match:

Batting

Ajinkya Rahane has been the best batsman for the Supergiants in their debut season. The Indian right-hander has scored 417 runs this year at an average of just over 52. Rahane has been carrying the weight of RPS' batting on his shoulders since injuries to Smith, Pietersen and du Plessis put them out of the tournament.

Skipper MS Dhoni has been in decent form in the tournament with 183 runs, which he has scored at a strike rate of slightly below 134. Southpaw Saurabh Tiwary has been doing well ever since he was promoted in the batting order with 2 half-centuries in 3 innings. Usman Khawaja, who has joined the team as a replacement, has looked promising in the 2 matches he has played.

However, there have not been too many noteworthy performances from the other batsmen in the team.

All-rounders

Sri Lanka's Thisara Perera has been Pune's top all-rounder this season with 97 runs at a strike rate of over 176 and 8 wickets. Rajat Bhatia has bowled well but has not contributed much with the bat. Among other all-rounders, Albie Morkel has played just 2 matches in this edition of the IPL whereas Mitchell Marsh had to leave midway due to injury. Even Irfan Pathan played just one game and has warmed the benches ever since.

Bowling

While Perera is RPS' leading wicket-taker, pacer Ashok Dinda has been their most impressive bowler with 7 wickets in 5 matches. Bhatia has claimed 6 wickets and conceded his runs at a miserly economy rate of 7.03 per over. Leg-spinner Murugan Ashwin performed exceptionally early on with 7 wickets in his first 5 games but has not been able to add to his tally since then.

Australia's Adam Zampa did reasonably well on his IPL debut, grabbing 2 wickets for 35 in his 4 overs. The biggest concern for the Supergiants has been Ravichandran Ashwin's loss of form as the off-spinner has taken just 3 wickets in 10 matches. In order to keep their hopes of making the playoffs alive, the bowlers will need to step up for the Rising Pune Supergiants.

Probable Playing XI

Ajinkya Rahane, Usman Khawaja, Saurabh Tiwary, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), George Bailey, Thisara Perera, Rajat Bhatia, Adam Zampa, Murugan Ashwin, Ashok Dinda, Ishwar Pandey.

Here's the team that may represent the Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Batting

Skipper David Warner has been in superb form for the Sunrisers this season and has led the way for them with 458 runs at a terrific average of 65.42 and an explosive strike rate of over 164. Shikhar Dhawan has also given his opening partner great support with 310 runs in 9 innings so far.

England's Eoin Morgan is the only other batsman apart from the openers to have scored more than 100 runs for SRH; however, he has not been included in the team for the past few games. Yuvraj Singh, who is returning from an ankle injury, had a poor debut for Hyderabad scoring just 5 off 14 balls but he pulled things back with a fiery 39 off 23 balls in his team's previous match.

Kiwi batsman Kane Williamson made a great start to the season with a half-century but he has failed in 2 innings ever since. Naman Ojha has also not looked the part so far in the tournament with only 67 runs in 6 innings.

All-rounders

There has not been much to show from the Sunrisers Hyderabad all-rounders in the 2016 IPL. Australian Moises Henriques has scored 97 runs and grabbed 6 wickets in 9 matches that he has played. Youngster Deepak Hooda has also struggled to perform and so have the likes of Ashish Reddy and Bipul Sharma. Yuvraj has only just come in and hasn't got enough opportunity to show his all-round skills.

Bowling

The highlight of SRH's successful run in the current season of the IPL has been their bowling. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman have been simply outstanding as they have claimed 13 wickets each. Rahman, in particular, has drawn a lot of praise from all quarters for his numerous variations and his control over them.

Senior statesman Ashish Nehra has not only bowled well but has taken up the role of being a mentor to the other bowlers. Barinder Sran has been impressive, too, with 8 wickets in the tournament. The spinners have not been a part of SRH's gameplan too much with hardly any overs being bowled by them and it is likely to stay this way considering the success of the pace attack.

Probable Playing XI

David Warner (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Kane Williamson, Yuvraj Singh, Moises Henriques, Deepak Hooda, Naman Ojha (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Barinder Sran, Ashish Nehra, Mustafizur Rahman.

Edited by Staff Editor