ANALYSIS
Follow UsBrian Lara, on Cricket.com’s Man vs Machine show, said why it is always better to have an Indian Captain in the IPL for it doesn’t waste an overseas spot lest the captain fails to match the standard expected of him. Gautam Gambhir had a similar viewpoint while speaking on Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre during IPL 2020. There was clear logic to it for the dynamics of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has always harped upon the regulated use of overseas resources but the moment, on Saturday afternoon precisely, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) announced Kane Williamson to replace David Warner as their captain, there was a lot of confusion. You can figure out why but can you lose sight of the bigger picture?
For once, Warner’s form has dropped massively this season but that is possibly because of the high standard that he has set for himself over the years as one of the finest T20 batsman. He led the revival of Sunrisers from a classic underdog to a champion team back in 2016 and many players openly admitted how they grew under him massively. Thus you can bite on the merit of stripping him off the captaincy after a few no-shows but then again, Williamson is a choice you can’t really stay away from for a long time. Will the star of 2018 do it again? We’re really close to witnessing that come Sunday afternoon at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Facing them are Rajasthan Royals (RR) - another team who are fighting their own demons to stay alive in the competition. From injury issues, minimizing their prime resources to players leaving the bubble, not a lot of things have gone in their favour this time. Sanju Samson has blown hot and cold - as has been the case always - but the biggest concern for them is the form of Jos Buttler. The Englishman, who despite returning to his favourite opening role in T20s, hasn’t been able to deliver anything worthwhile. Depleted, bruised and battered, both sides will walk into the arena in the national capital under the scorching May afternoon sun, trying to make sense of what is happening with them. In all fairness, that’s not an easy position to be in.
Rajasthan’s Dube concern
In the last game against Mumbai Indians, RR's top-order were in their element, scoring runs at a decent pace. In one of the positives, Jos Buttler was amongst the runs as was Yashasvi Jaiswal. But the manner in which Shivam Dube batted was not a representation of his abilities. Playing majorly in the middle and death, he batted with a strike rate of 112.90 and Rajasthan ended up with a below-par score. With strike rates of 29, 85, 122, and 113 in the last four games batting in the key No. 4 position raises doubts if it is worth having him there.
Since his initial days with RCB, Dube is touted as a big hitter against spin and has a much lower dot ball percentage against the spinners in this IPL than the pacers. Despite that favorable stat, his boundary percentage also has been lower as against the pacers. The conundrum can simply be solved by promoting David Miller to the said position to maximise the offering. Miller is a slow starter but if he is given an opportunity to play out more deliveries, very few players in the world can be as devastating as him.
What’s ailing SRH?
A lot of things honestly. Sans Rashid Khan’s magnanimous form, nothing has really gone well for the Hyderabad-based franchise. With a strike rate of 110, David Warner has witnessed one of the most uncharacteristic seasons so far and is now the second slowest opener this IPL. For a batsman, who was the fourth fastest and most consistent in a period between 2016 and 2019, these numbers are worrisome.
In IPL between 2016-2019, his boundary hitting percentage was an incredible 61.95% but since 2020, the number has reduced to 54.11%. One can only hope the former SRH captain will do well to change that narrative. Further, the management has indicated that they want their overseas resources, which could see the Warner get the axe before the Rajasthan encounter.
The Australian’s dwindling batting returns are only the tip of the iceberg. SRH are battling various inner demons of which their PowerPlay (PP) bowling remains a case study. Over the years, Sunrisers have thrived with the new ball in the PP but this year, the story has been contrastingly different with only 2 wickets in 6 games this year. Such has been SRH’s struggle. Bhuvneshwar barely looked a part of his original best before getting injured, and Jason Holder was benched after Kane Williamson was fit. Sandeep Sharma has also found himself warming the bench before making a comeback in the previous game and the uncertainty has cost them big-time. They need an immediate course correction in that regard to hold any chances in the ongoing edition.
Probable XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul
