MATCH PREVIEW
Follow UsPunjab Kings have had a weird start to the season. After four games, they have two wins against their name, sitting sixth on the points table despite starting the campaign with a win in their first-ever clash at new home Mullanpur.
Since that win in their opener, their frailties, especially in the bowling department, have been exposed with their losses against both Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in subsequent games. It didn’t go away in the win against Gujarat Titans either, with them conceding 200 runs in that clash.
If not for the superhero stuff from their newbies Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, a win might not have been possible in Ahmedabad. To make things worse, they face Sunrisers Hyderabad, a batting behemoth.
Read: PBKS’ Ashutosh Sharma recalls unfair treatment from ‘professional coach’
They have punished bowling units for fun, so Punjab will have to tighten all the loose screws if they want a sniff at the two points.
PBKS vs SRH Head-to-Head
Overall - Games 21 | PBKS 7 | SRH 14
Since 2021 - Games 5 | PBKS 2 | SRH 3
Venue and Condition Details
Mullanpur has hosted just one IPL game this season, and it was a game that was won by Punjab Kings while chasing. Delhi Capitals, in that clash, scored 174, a score that proved to be not enough. Over the years, the surface here in Mullanpur has become progressively better to bat on, with an average first-innings total of 173 in 2023.
Out of the 14 T20s at the venue, seven games have been won by teams batting first and seven by teams chasing. Pacers are the ones to look out for, with 87 wickets compared to the 33 by spinners.
Weather Forecast
Expect it to be 36 degrees Celsius in Mullanpur tomorrow for the clash, with 27% humidity and zero chances of rain.
Things to watch out for
A stern test for Punjab’s bowling
Punjab Kings are overly reliant on their pace unit to do a chunk of their work, considering their non-existent spin unit. But that pace bowling hasn’t really stepped up this season, with figures of 6/143 (ER 9.53), 4/145 (10.12), 6/127 (9.77) and 3/144 (10.29).
While they have picked up wickets, the worrying part is that their economy rate is constant over the nine mark. Up against them are Sunrisers Hyderabad, a side that loves to gobble up pace, so much so that it has been impossible to bowl pace at them.
Thus far in the season, SRH have the second-best run rate in the competition (11.3), with an average of 38.4 against pace. They also have some of the world’s most destructive batters, in the form of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen.
Will the fragile Punjab’s pace unit survive that pressure?
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s experience might be key
Going by his current form, there’s no way that one would blindly trust Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But his experience is such that it only takes one good ball to turn his form around, something that was evident in Sunrisers’ win over Chennai Super Kings. Bhuvneshwar broke his drought with a wicket in the powerplay, removing the in-form Rachin Ravindra.
Sunrisers would be more than relieved with his performance the other night. Continuing that good form might be Bhuvneshwar’s biggest challenge. But the good part about this is that he faces the Punjab Kings, a team he loves bowling against.
In his IPL career, Bhuvneshwar has picked up the second-most wickets against PBKS (27) and has an average of just 18.6, the best for him against any team (min 20 wickets). With the conditions favouring pacers, it could well be a good platform for the experienced bowler.
Probable XIs
Punjab’s Probable XI: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Shashank Singh, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel / Vidwath Kaverappa (IP), Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Ashutosh Sharma (IP)
Hyderabad’s Probable XI: Travis Head (IP), Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Jaydev Unadkat, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan (IP)
Telecast and Streaming Details
The match will be live on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on Jio Cinema. The game will start at 7.30 PM, with the toss happening at 7:00 PM.
