Follow UsIn less than 48 hours after their dismal performance against the Lucknow Super Giants, the Sunrisers Hyderabad are back to their home ground for their third league game against the Punjab Kings.
The Orange Army will take on the Shikhar Dhawan-led side in an evening encounter at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on April 9, with an aim to bounce back from the stutter and halt the Punjab juggernaut.
With plenty of firepower in the two sides, it promises to be a blockbuster and here are some key factors that could help you build your fantasy team for this high-voltage clash.
Ground details
The wicket in Hyderabad is known to be conducive for strokeplay, with an average score around the 180-run mark. The dimensions of the ground are on the shorter side, resulting in the venue seeing a number of boundaries and sixes being hit.
Overall in T20s since 2019, the average winning score batting first is 197 runs, and the wicket stayed true to its nature in the first home game of the season against the Rajasthan Royals, where the flamboyant top order powered the visiting side to 203 runs in the first innings.
The surface will assist the seamers with the new ball, as in the 11 T20 matches since 2019, the fast bowlers have scalped 75 wickets out of 123, with three to four wickets on average every inning.
With Sam Curran, Umran Malik and Bhuvneshwar Kumar set to feature in this encounter, the fans are set to be enthralled by some fiery spell of pace bowling.
Suggested Team
While you could go for the above team, you can choose your team from Cricket.com's Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captaincy suggestions
For small leagues: Sam Curran (Captain), Aiden Markram (vice-captain)
For grand leagues: Rahul Tripathi (Captain), Arshdeep Singh (vice-captain)
Stats that matter
Punjab Kings acquired the services of Sam Curran in this edition of the Indian Premier League for INR 18.5 Crorers, making him the most expensive player in the history of the league.
The all-rounder slammed an unbeaten 26 off 17 in the first game against the Knight Riders and followed it up with a brilliant last over against the Royals, where he defended 16 runs to power the team over the line in a thrilling clash.
With the surface offering some help to the seamers, expect Curran to wreak havoc in the powerplay with the new ball. He will also add another batting option for the Punjab side, making him one of the players that could help you fetch maximum fantasy points.
The skipper of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Aiden Markram, will be keen to forget his golden duck in the last game against the Super Giants and make an impact for the home team.
The right-handed batter finished as the third-highest run-scorer in the SA20 league with 366 runs in 12 innings at an average of 33.27 and a strike rate of 127.9, including a scintillating hundred for Sunrisers Eastern Cape.
The 28-year-old is also more than useful with his off-spin and scalped 11 wickets at an economy rate of 6.19. With Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa in the top order of the Punjab side, expect Markram to bowl a lot more in the early stages of the innings to the two left-handers.
Grand league punts
The onus of the Orange Army will also rely heavily on Rahul Tripathi to come good in this much-awaited encounter. The right-handed batter was dismissed early in the first innings and scored a 41-ball 34 against Lucknow.
The 32-year-old is one of the most destructive batters in the tournament and has smashed 809 runs in 25 innings at an average of 32.36 and a strike rate of 144.7 since IPL 2021, which is the third-best among batters in the top three with a minimum of 500 runs.
On a pitch that is expected to be spicy and the new ball set to do most of the damage, Arshdeep Singh will be the player to watch out for in this game.
The left-arm seamer is second on the list of bowlers with the most wickets in the powerplay, with 17 scalps behind Bhuvneshwar Kumar's 21 dismissals in T20Is since 2022.
The 24-year-old is equally effective in the back end of the innings and has been the leading wicket-taker in T20Is since 2022 among the top ten nations in overs 16 to 20, with 21 wickets at an average of 14.2 and a strike rate of 9.1.
Top Criclytics Projections
Predicted XI
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mayank Agarwal, Anmolpreet Singh (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (Captain), Harry Brook, Washington Sundar, Abdul Samad, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Adil Rashid
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh