Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans, 66th Match

Thursday, May 16, 2024, 7:30 PM

Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Gujarat Titans, 66th Match

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad

HEAD TO HEAD
TotaL          : 4
SRH Won   : 1
GT Won      : 3

It was at this venue that SRH decimated LSG by 10 wickets, having set the tone for their journey here with a total of 277 against MI back in March. They have four wins out of five at home this season, with their only loss coming against Royal Challengers Bengaluru when they couldn't chase down a target of 207, with the combination of change of pace and spin working well for the visiting side on a slow surface.

SRH's blaze in this edition that Hyderabad has seen sell-out crowds, which wasn't the case in the past seasons. "We remember the first years here at SRH when we were developing a fan base. There may have been some space in the crowd, there may have even been times when there was some support for the opposition as well. But hasn't that changed?...I'll say this year has been the most vocal, the nosiest, and the most supporting crowd that I can ever remember," says Helmot, who calls the crowd their "13th impact player". And SRH will be eager to reciprocate that support with another victory which will confirm a berth for them in the playoffs.

Gujarat Titans, who just got knocked out from the playoffs race after rain played spoilsport in Ahmedabad. In what has been a lacklustre season for them, the Shubman Gill-led side will be hoping to sign off on a positive note and in the process disrupt the aspirations of the home side. Before the abandoned game, the Titans posted 231 against Chennai Super Kings, riding on Gill and Sai Sudharsan's hundreds to register their second highest total in the IPL. They need their batters to deliver again but, more than that, they need the bowlers to be on the mark going up against the bulldozing SRH batters who don't show the opposition any mercy.

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has dismissed Gill three times in 56 deliveries and has conceded only 57 runs, which makes him a favourable matchup for SRH up against the GT skipper. Gill has also been dismissed four times by right-arm legspin in this IPL, which makes Vijayakanth Viyaskanth a good option against him. T Natarajan is a useful option against left-handers, having bagged seven southpaw wickets (at a strike rate of 12 an economy of 8.79) out of his tally of 15 this season.

Injury/Availability: Sunrisers do not have any fitness concerns in their setup

Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth. [Impact sub: T Natarajan].

Gujarat Titans

 In his last five matches, Heinrich Klaasen has been dismissed by spinners three times while Travis Head has been dismissed by spin five times, bringing Rashid and Noor Ahmad into the picture.

Injury/Availability: Wriddhiman Saha had a niggle which kept him out of the game against CSK, with GT bringing in Matthew Wade and handing Kartik Tyagi a GT debut. They could look at sticking to this combination considering Saha, even if he has recovered, hasn't been in the best of form with the bat..

Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Matthew Wade (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Kartik Tyagi. [Impact sub: Sandeep Warrier].​​​​​​​