Rajasthan Royals (RR) will host the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur on May 7, 2023, at 7.30 pm IST. Both the teams have had a disappointing season so far and are at the bottom half of the table. In 17 matches, RR has won 9 and SRH 8. In the three games played at this venue, RR has won two and lost one. The pitch is expected to be slow as the same surface will be used as in the previous match.
In their last game, RR was thoroughly outclassed by the Gujarat Titans. In this period, their run rate has been 7.82. The lack of intent and the inability to consolidate on a solid start have been the team’s recurring themes. Jos Buttler’s dwindling form in the second half of the season has added to the team’s middle-order batting woes.
SRH has struggled this season and has not been able to progress as a cohesive unit. Aiden Markram has suggested that the team will persist with him. SRH will need to be more cohesive and put up a better performance to beat RR.
Injury/Unavailability: No absentees reported after the Friday game for RR. No injuries or unavailability have been reported for SRH.
Probable XI:
RR – Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Adam Zampa, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma.
SRH – Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi/T Natarajan, Aiden Markram, Harry Brook, Heinrich Klaasen, Abdul Samad, Marco Jansen/Akeal Hossein, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Kartik Tyagi.
Sandeep Sharma will play a crucial role in defending against SRH’s opening batsman, Mayank Agarwal. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal has had some interesting match-ups against Mayank, having scored 72 runs off the 49 balls he’s faced from the leg-spinner. However, Chahal has also managed to dismiss Mayank six times in their previous encounters.
On the other hand, SRH will look to Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s vast experience to extend Jos Buttler’s struggles. Bhuvneshwar has given away 45 runs at a run-a-ball rate to the England batter in the IPL without managing to dismiss him. In all T20s, he has conceded 88 runs off 82 balls and has dismissed Buttler five times.
Finally, depending on the toss, either Rahul Tripathi or T Natarajan is expected to be the impact substitute.
RR has a chance to repair the recent damage and remain relevant in the race for the playoffs.The team will need to show intent and consolidate on a solid start to win. SRH will need to put up a better performance as a cohesive unit to beat RR.
