Sunrisers Hyderabad look to get their campaign back on track as they face an inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders camp at the MCA Stadium, Pune on Saturday. Hyderabad recorded a five-match winning streak before four straight losses derailed their impressive run. The 2016 IPL winners need to win all their remaining three games to harbour any hopes of making it to the playoffs. Follow IPL 2022 Coverage
Hyderabad’s dodgy spell in the last four games is mainly because of injuries to key bowlers and Umran Malik blowing hot and cold. The absence of Washington Sundar and T Natarajan exposed the team’s bowling frailty in the previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore. Speed merchant Umran went wicketless while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Kartik Tyagi leaked 47 and 42 runs respectively.
Natarajan was sorely missed in the pace setup and he could replace either Farooqi or Kartik in the eleven. Head coach Tom Moody confirmed that Natarajan and Washington will be available for selection against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The fact that Umran has gone wicketless in the last three games might hurt Sunrisers’ bowling plans. While his form remains a big concern for the team, skipper Kane Williamson also needs to step up with the willow. Williamson has struggled for runs in the ongoing season to amass just 199 runs from 11 matches. He will look to snap the botched run and provide more decisive contributions.
His partner Abhishek Sharma has given Sunrisers solid starts, but the youngster hasn’t been able to take the innings deep. Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram also need to shoulder some more responsibility as the tournament enters its business end.
Ahead of Match 61 of IPL 2022 at the MCA Stadium, we take a look at the probable playing XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad…
Openers: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson
Top and middle-order: Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran
Power hitter: Shashank Singh
Spin options: Washington Sundar
Pacers: T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik
Sunrisers Hyderabad Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson(c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran(wk), Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Umran Malik
Changes from the last match: The return of Natarajan and Washington will be a massive boost for Sunrisers. Natarajan is set to come in place of Kartik Tyagi. Washington will most likely replace J Suchith. Also, Sunrisers can think of picking between Marco Jansen and Fazalhaq Farooqi as the lone overseas pacer.
