Everything to play for Royals, Hyderabad

IPL STROKES

PRANAV MEHTA

Indian Premier League is cruising at the moment and Saturday was a day full of emotions. It was a doubleheader and in each of those matches, there was ecstasy for one side and agony for the other. Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals both lost their respective matches despite having to chase under-par totals. They will be up against each other in the upcoming contest and that match is going to be everything to play for, at least for the Royals.

Rajasthan and Hyderabad both will now move to Dubai International Cricket Stadium to play match 40 of the tournament. Hyderabad may already be knocked out of the race, but they still have a lot to play for. Rajasthan, on the other hand, desperately need to win this won to stay ahead of their competitors in the race. This is certainly going to be a cracking contest, definitely not the one to miss out.

TOUGH TIMES

It must be a heart-breaking affair to be a Sunrisers Hyderabad fan. They once used to be a very strong side, but they have been a mere shadow of themselves this year. To add to that, 'that once' was not very long ago. They have been so poor this year that they still have five matches to go, but are practically already knocked out of the contention.

From a total of nine matches played, the Sunrisers have won just one and have a terrible net run rate of -0.637. They have done reasonably well with the ball up until now, but their performance with the bat has been far from satisfactory. The same was on display in their previous match as well as they failed to chase down a reasonably modest total of 125 at a venue known for high-scoring affairs.

All in all, Sunrisers Hyderabad have been far from their best and even though they have done well in patches, that has not been enough. They desperately need their seniors to step up and unless that happens, Sunrisers Hyderabad are going to find it very difficult.

LOSING CONTROL

Rajasthan Royals will be gutted to lose a match that they pretty much had control of at the halfway mark. On a surface that wasn't too difficult to bat on, the Royals gave away too many easy wickets to the Delhi bowlers and eventually had to pay the price. They are still in the hunt for the play-offs but will need to play out of their skins if they have to qualify from here.

The Royals are currently placed seventh on the points table, but they can quickly bounce up to the fourth spot if they are able to register a win in this upcoming contest and the other results fall their way. From a total of nine matches done, the Royals have won four and lost five. They have a net run rate of -0.319, which they would want to improve going forward.

In their previous match, against Delhi Capitals, the Royals arguably took the matter too casually with the bat before things went out of their control. Barring Sanju Samson, who was terrific with the bat and happened to be the lone warrior with his 70-run knock, none of their batsmen managed to stay at the wicket.

All in all, Rajasthan Royals have a good team on paper with players who have been doing well. However, the absence of Chris Morris in the previous match meant that they were left a little short on batting depth and that did hurt them. There are likely to make a few changes coming up to their playing eleven in the next match and it will be interesting to see who their four overseas would be. Regardless of that, if they are able to perform to their potential, they are going to be a hard team to get past.

WHAT TO EXPECT?

We are slowly approaching the business end of the tournament and each match here on carries massive importance. Although the Royals still have things under their control, a loss in this upcoming match will quickly send the panic alarms ringing in their camp. The Sunrisers, on the contrary, are already out of the equation and have nothing to lose. They can be a dangerous side to deal with in this situation.

Comparing the recent results of the two sides and their respective on-paper combinations, Rajasthan Royals appear to be slightly ahead. Besides, they have a strong motivation to do well here.

For Rajasthan, expect Sanju Samson, Liam Livinstone and Yashasvi Jaiswal to shine with the bat. Mahipal Lomror and David Miller could play a good cameo. While with the ball, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya and Karthik Tyagi have been doing brilliant. Evin Lewis and Chris Morris could make a come back, while Shreyas Gopal could replace Riyan Parag.

For Sunrisers Hyderabad, expect Jason Roy to come in for David Warner, Priyam Garg could come in for Kedar Jadhav. Basil Thampi surely needs to find a spot. A lot of players are going to get opportunity in the next 5 games, since Sunrisers Hyderabad cannot qualify anymore.