Sunrisers Hyderabad will start their IPL 2023 campaign with a clash against last year’s losing finalists, Rajasthan Royals, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday, April 2. The Hyderabad-based outfit will be without skipper Aiden Markram for the opening clash with veteran Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar leading the lines in his absence.
The Hyderabad-based outfit are without several key players including Markram’s compatriots Marco Jansen and Heinrich Klaasen, who are currently on national duty. However, all eyes will be on England’s young batting sensation Harry Brook, who was roped in by Sunrisers at the IPL 2023 auction for a whopping INR 13.25 crore after an intense bidding war with Rajasthan Royals.
Meanwhile, their opponents, Rajasthan Royals will be looking to start their campaign with a victory after their heartbreaking loss against Gujarat Titans in last year’s finale. Sanju Samson’s side are one of the strong favourites to make it to the playoffs for a second season running, and they will need English white-ball skipper Jos Buttler to replicate the same form that he displayed last year.
Pitch and Conditions
The surface in Hyderabad has traditionally been a high-scoring venue, favouring the team with the power hitters. The pitch usually remains intact throughout the duration of the game with slight assistance for the new ball bowlers. The team winning the toss would be inclined to bat first at this venue.
Probable Playing XI for SRH vs RR
Sunrisers Hyderabad
The addition of former Punjab Kings skipper Mayank Agarwal will strengthen the Sunrisers’ top order. Harry Brook and Glenn Phillips’ explosive batting output will hold the key for the Men in Orange in the absence of skipper Aiden Markram.
Probable Playing XI: Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips (wk), Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (c), Adil Rashid, Umran Malik, T Natarajan
Rajasthan Royals
While Jos Buttler’s trailblazing run at the top order will be crucial for the Royals, they will be hoping for runs from the middle order as well, with the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Devdutt Padikkal in the side. It will be interesting to see how Rajasthan cope with the loss of Prasidh Krishna.
Probable Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen
SRH vs RR Head to Head
Played – 16 Sunrisers Hyderabad- 8
More in Latest News
‘You never write off champions’ – Justin Langer, Ravi Shastri...
Travis Head – Siraj celebration & Bumrah’s celebration (Source:...
Sam Konstas. (Photo by Josh Chadwick/Getty Images) Sikandar Raza reacted after...
AUS vs IND 2024-25: Jasprit Bumrah overtakes Ishant Sharma in all-time list...