Venue: Sharjah Cricket Ground, Sharjah
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue: 170
Win percentage while batting first: 43.18%
Pitch Conditions:
- The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Ground is completely favourable to batsmen as witnessed in the first half of the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s innings against Chennai Super Kings on Friday night. The small dimensions of the ground also make it easier for batsmen to clear the boundaries or send the ball to the ropes.
- With 66.67% of wickets coming their way, fast bowlers have had a greater share of wickets compared to spin bowlers, who have only 33.33% of the dismissals falling in their kitty.
Weather prediction:
It will be a bright and sunny day in Sharjah on Saturday and the evening will also witness clear sky with the temperature dropping down from 36°C earlier in the day to 34°C after the sunset. Humidity levels will increase from 50 to 60% during the match hours.
Head-to-head performance:
Matches played: 17
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) won: 12
Punjab Kings (PBKS) won: 5
Tied: –
Top 3 players from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner, Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan
Top 3 players from Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner, Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jason Holder
Top 5 players from Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
With the match to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Ground, which has very small dimensions making it easier for the batsmen to clear the boundaries and send the ball to the ropes, it will be wise to select more batsmen in the front to see playing XI. Both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings have some very exciting and aggressive batsmen who are have been immensely successful in this format. Former Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner would want to make it count when he takes field on Saturday night against Punjab Kings, and the same can be said for the PBKS batsman KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, who did all the hard work in their contest against Rajasthan Royals but fell short at the end by 2 runs. It will also be interesting to see how a world-class bowler like Rashid Khan goes about his business on this ground which favours batsmen heavily.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
It will be difficult to judge which team is stronger than the fact that both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings are occupying the last two spots in the Indian T20 2021 points table. Sunrisers Hyderabad have been able to record just 1 victory so far in 8 matches that they have played, but in the case of Punjab Kings, the matters are far better since they have recorded 3 victories in 9 matches, which have given them 6 points in the Indian T20 points table. Punjab Kings have been far more competitive and expressive on the field compared to Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have gone through motions as far as putting up a unified performance is concerned. Punjab Kings also have more players in-form such as Rahul, Mayank, Nicolas Pooran, Mohammed Shami and a few others, which certainly makes them stronger side than Sunrisers Hyderabad in this context.
MORE INFORMATION:
Players’ form: KL Rahul resumed the duties for Punjab Kings against Rajasthan Royals in a spectacular manner, scoring 49 but in a losing cause. Rahul is currently the second highest run-scorer in Indian T20 2021 tournament with 380 runs in 8 matches at an average of 63.33 with the help of 4 half-centuries. Agarwal, his opening partner, it’s not too far behind with 327 runs with the help of three half-centuries and an average of 46.71, which promises stability and aggression at the top for PBKS. But as far as batting is concerned, their performances do not matter as much since PBKS are languishing at the second last position in the points table and have a huge ground to cover in order to make it to the Indian T20 2021 knockouts. For Sunrisers Hyderabad, the form of Warner and Rashid will be crucial along with that of their captain Williamson, but their best batsman in Indian T20 2021, Jonny Bairstow, is missing the second leg of the tournament in the UAE.
Changes in squad (if any): YES
LIKELY XIs:
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed.
Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Adil Rashid, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Ishan Porel.
FANTASY XI: Mayank Agarwal (vc), KL Rahul (c&wk), David Warner, Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
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Struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings look for resurrection
The KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings will aim to put behind the disappointment of a narrow 2-run defeat against Rajasthan Royals in the previous match and bounce back emphatically against the struggling Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Match No 37 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (Indian T20) 2021 tournament, to be played at the Sharjah Cricket Ground in the UAE.
The venue provides both Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings with a perfect opportunity to pile up a huge score since the ground dimensions make it easier for the batsmen to go for the big shots and not worry too much about their own safety. In the past in Indian T20, Sharjah has also witnessed plenty of big scores being put up particularly in the matches involving Punjab Kings, something that should excite their in-form opening pair of Rahul and Agarwal, who both have scored at least 320 runs each so far in Indian T20 2021.
Punjab Kings are coming off a narrow 2-run defeat at the hands of Rajasthan Royals, a contest in which they looked the better side for the majority but stumbled in the final over from Karthik Tyagi, where in they failed to score 4 runs to win.
While t the defeat would have certainly demoralised Punjab Kings, they cannot sulk any further since there is a lot left to be done and their biggest task is to lift themselves up from the seventh spot in the Indian T20 2021 points table and take them closer to the top four who will qualify for the knockouts.
Punjab Kings have tremendous firepower in them ranks as following the pair of Rahul and Mayank, we have the likes of T20 legend Chris Gayle, Nicolas Pooran, South Africa’s Aiden Markram, India’s Deepak Hooda, and in the bowling department, they have Mohammad Shami, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh and a few others to bank upon.
On the other hand, it won’t be too long before Sunrisers Hyderabad’s campaign in Indian T20 2021 tournament is over. From a possible 16 points in 8 matches so far, Surisers Hyderabad have been able to record only 2 with a solitary victory coming their way. Sunrisers Hyderabad are coming off a heavy defeat by 8 wickets at the hands of Indian T20 2021 table toppers Delhi Capitals, a contest in which they were thoroughly outplayed in all departments by a quality side.
Apart from struggling with problems in their leadership, Sunrisers Hyderabad also do not have players to look upon in such wretched times. The best batsman so far in Indian T20 2021, England’s Jonny Bairstow, is missing the second leg of Indian T20 2021 in the UAE whereas the other dependable batsmen in Warner, Williamson and even Manish Pandey to an extent, have not been able to deliver enough for anyone’s liking.
Sunrisers Hyderabad also have a weak belly in the form of Indian players Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, leaving the overseas duo of Rashid and Jason Holder a lot to do with the bat along with their responsibilities with the ball. Rashid has been one of the highest wicket-takers in the tournament but his performances alone cannot rescue SRH, who are in a desperate situation to revive their campaign and save themselves from further embarrassment.
