Match details
Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Qualifier 2
Chennai, 1930 IST (1400 GMT)
Big picture – SRH’s batters vs RR’s bowlers
Those gargantuan totals were set up by Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, the most destructive pair in the IPL history with a partnership run rate of 13.65 (min. 10 stands). Their aggressive approach also meant that SRH are the only team to score 100 or more in the powerplay this season, a feat they have achieved twice. This is even before we come to Heinrich Klaasen, arguably the best T20 batter in the past 12 months.
RR’s batting line-up may not be as destructive but they have one of the best bowling units: a left-arm swinger at the top, two world-class spinners in the middle and two wily seamers at the death. The battle between their bowlers and SRH’s batters could decide who moves to the final.
Form guide
Rajasthan Royals WLLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sunrisers Hyderabad LWWLW
Previous meeting
Team news and Impact Player strategy
Rajasthan Royals
The slow nature of the Chepauk pitch may make Keshav Maharaj a tempting third-spinner option for RR. But if they are bowling first, Maharaj’s inclusion could mean rejigging their overseas combo, and one wonders if they’d go even risk going in with just two seam-bowling options in a must-win.
But if they are batting first, they can start with three overseas players, and bring in either Powell or Maharaj as the Impact Player depending on their progress.
Probable XII: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Tom Kohler-Cadmore, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Rovman Powell/Keshav Maharaj, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Boult, 10 Avesh Khan, 11 Sandeep Sharma, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad
If they are batting first, they too can start with only three overseas players: Head, Klaasen and the captain Pat Cummins. Depending on how it goes, they can either bring in Phillips or Viyaskanth.
Probable XII: 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Aiden Markram/Glenn Phillips/Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, 5 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 6 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 7 Abdul Samad, 8 Shahbaz Ahmed, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Mayank Markande, 12 T Natarajan
In the spotlight – R Ashwin and Travis Head
Stats that matter
- In IPL 2024, SRH are the fastest-scoring side in the powerplay (run rate 11.48), and RR the most frugal (economy 8.03).
- Ashwin has never dismissed Head but has managed to keep him quiet, conceding only ten runs in 17 balls. On the other hand, Abhishek has taken him on: 28 runs in 18 balls for one dismissal.
- Klaasen has dominated his match-up against Yuzvendra Chahal: 108 runs off 46 balls, three dismissals.
- Jaiswal has hit Bhuvneshwar for 54 runs in 33 balls without ever being dismissed. He has an equally impressive record against Cummins: 25 runs in 12 balls, no dismissal.
- Shimron Hetmyer has scored only eight runs in 16 balls off Bhuvneshwar, though the seamer has never dismissed him.
Pitch and conditions
It’s going to be hot and humid. And with dew expected in the second innings, the teams may prefer bowling first on winning the toss. The recent history also backs that: chasing teams have won five of the seven games played here this season.
Hemant Brar is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo