After a disappointing defeat against Delhi Capitals on Saturday, Rajasthan Royals are all set to take the stage against Sunrisers Hyderabad on September 27, back in Dubai. We start the game from 6th position thanks to NRR, which makes the match crucial as we look to move up the table.
Previous Meeting:
Our previous meeting with SRH was just before the postponement of the season, and was witness to a batting masterclass by Jos Buttler, who scored his first ever T20 century in a thumping win. Buttler along with Sanju Samson’s 33-ball 48 helped us post a gigantic 220/3 on the board at the Kotla in New Delhi. Meanwhile, Mustafizur Rahman and Chris Morris scalped three wickets apiece to restrict the SRH batters in what ended up being our final fixture of the first half of the season.
Key Stats
Overall H2H Record: Played - 14, RR - 7, SRH -7
Form Guide against SRH: WLWWL
Overall Form Guide: LWWLW
From the current squad, Sanju Samson has scored the most runs (430) in all RR vs SRH clashes combined. He also has a high score of 102* against the Orange Army. While we lost our previous game against DC, the big positive was Sanju’s return to form with a 53-ball 70*, and we hope he can score more against a team he likes playing against. Sanju has had a fine season on the whole, and is currently 5th in the race to the Orange Cap, with 351 runs. He’s scored these runs at a SR of 140+, averaging over 50 in the process. These are superb numbers for a player who is also playing as captain for the first time in his IPL career.
On the bowling side, Mustafizur has been in fine form in our last two games, leading the attack with overall figures of 2/52 from 8 overs. The way the Bangladesh left-armer runs in every game and delivers without any fuss has been fantastic to watch. He could also have some extra motivation tomorrow as he’s up against his former side.
Overseas Combination
In our last game against Delhi, Liam and Fizz were kept in the XI, but minor injuries to Lewis and Morris meant that we saw David Miller come back into the side, while Tabraiz Shamsi made his Royals debut. Changes could be made once again as we’ll be playing at a slightly smaller ground in Dubai, while Morris and/or Lewis’ could return if fit. After a flat batting performance, it remains to be seen whether the Royals make any changes to their top 7.
Players to watch
It will be interesting to keep an eye on the likes of Yashasvi tomorrow, who had played a little cameo against SRH earlier in the season. Sanju’s return to form makes him our main man with the bat, while it will also be a game for Liam to shine if he’s selected.
As for Sunrisers Hyderabad, the main threat could be David Warner, an IPL legend who’s yet to find form this season. All-rounder and Barbados Royals skipper Jason Holder is also in great form, and will be one for us to watch out for.
In what would be the third RR - SRH clash in Dubai, we’re looking forward to capitalising on their poor run of form. Our 55-run victory over them in May was an NRR boost for us, which helped us move up to 5th in the table, and we’re hoping for a repeat on Monday. Look forward to your support. Halla Bol!
What do you think our overseas combination for Monday’s match against SRH should be? Send in your views on Twitter at @rajasthanroyals or to me @cricketpun_duh
