IPL 6: Match 48 - SRH vs DD - Sunrisers Hyderabad Preview

Teams – Sunrisers Hyderabad vs. Delhi Daredevils

Venue - Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

Time – 8 pm IST

The Sunrisers Hyderabad will enter the business end of the league stages knowing pretty well that there is stiff competition between them, RCB, MI and RR for the three play-off slots now that CSK is perched at the top, in a fairly comfortably position. However, SRH will gain confidence from the fact that 4 of their 6 remaining matches are on their home ground. They’ve made this ground their fortress by winning all of their 4 matches played on this venue. Along with CSK, RR and RCB, SRH have also managed to use their home conditions well, and it has been a major contributor to their success this year despite the limited resources in their armoury.

The form of Shikhar Dhawan will also give their morale an immense boost. There is nothing like a struggling batting line-up being bolstered by a player coming straight in and taking the attack to the opposition bowlers. Hanuman Vihari has been their best batsman so far, and SRH will bank on him to provide that solidity to the middle order along with Kumar Sangakkara, who needs to make more than just those 20s to justify his selection. In Darren Sammy and Perera, they have the hard-hitters which a team needs towards the end of the innings. The slow Hyderabad pitch might negate the pace threat of the DD bowlers and the SRH batsmen should see that as a definite advantage.

SRH’s bowling is capable of defending low totals. The trio of Steyn, Ishant and Mishra has been ably supported by Karan Sharma. The control he can generate from his Paul Strang-like action fits perfectly into the SRH attack. The bowlers, however, will be challenged by a DD line-up comprising of attacking batsmen who seemed to have finally found form; and now that they don’t have much to lose, they will be more dangerous.

Players to watch out for

Shikhar Dhawan – His aggressive approach at the top of the order allows the other batsmen to play themselves in. If he gets in, he will undoubtedly lay a good platform for the team to put a good score on the board.

Amit Mishra – Against batsmen of an attacking nature on a helpful surface, Mishra will hold the key to SRH bowling.

Dale Steyn – His pace and swing upfront can test batsmen of any quality, and he has the ability to keep things quiet at the beginning of the innings.

X-Factor

Darren Sammy – He brings the Caribbean coolness to his batting and bowling. The captain of the current T20 WC champions, his all-round contribution is vital to the team.

Prediction

It is expected to be a good contest between the DD batsmen and the SRH bowlers. But the consistently impressive performance of the latter, backed by a more evolved batting unit, hands the advantage to SRH.