Punjab Kings will face Sunrisers Hyderabad on their home ground on April 12 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, India. With both teams packed with power-hitters, fans can expect a thrilling and high-scoring battle under the lights.
What to Expect from the Pitch?
Hyderabad has been a paradise for batters this season. The average first innings score in the last 10 matches here is a massive 213. Teams batting first have had more success, winning 60% of the matches. So, winning the toss and putting up a big total could be the best way forward.
Head-to-Head Battle
Punjab Kings have faced Sunrisers Hyderabad 23 times in the IPL. While SRH lead with 16 wins, PBKS have won 7 matches. In the last 5 meetings, SRH have come out on top 4 times, with Punjab grabbing 1 win. Interestingly, teams batting first have had more success in this fixture, winning 9 out of 12 such games. So again, winning the toss could be key.
Players to Watch
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS) – Punjab’s skipper is in top form with 168 runs in just 4 games. With a strike rate of 200 and two fifties, he’s been leading from the front.
Priyansh Arya (PBKS) – The young star smashed the fastest-ever century by an uncapped player in IPL history – in just 39 balls. He could be Punjab’s x-factor on this batting-friendly pitch.
Heinrich Klaasen (SRH) – The dangerous middle-order batter has scored 152 runs in 5 matches at a strike rate of 168.89. Punjab bowlers will need to be sharp against him.
Mohammad Shami (SRH) – With 5 wickets in 5 games, Shami has been steady with the ball. But he’ll be tested against the Punjab power-hitters.
Punjab Kings Squad : Harnoor Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Josh Inglis (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Vishnu Vinod (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Lockie Ferguson, Praveen Dubey, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur and Yuzvendra Chahal
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Wiaan Mulder, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Adam Zampa, Eshan Malinga, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Shami, Pat Cummins (c), Rahul Chahar, Simarjeet Singh and Zeeshan Ansari
Punjab Kings are all set for a high-octane clash in Hyderabad. With the batters in form and the pitch made for runs, this could be a night full of sixes and boundaries.
