Punjab will rue missed opportunities
It’s pretty evident that Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad are the two weakest teams in this season of the Indian Premier League. And, rightly they are at the bottom of the points table. While Sunrisers Hyderabad are virtually out of the tournament, Punjab have an opportunity to correct their mistakes, which haven’t been too many to be fair. They have odds of 1.73 to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad and improve their position in the table.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have been banking too much on Rashid Khan for his magic and without the bowling strength around him, the Afghan spinner hasn’t had much of an impact. Against Punjab Kings, a team Rashid has struggled against, SRH will likely further be crippled. They have odds of 2.08 to beat Punjab Kings, an unlikely proposition given how their season has gone.
Sunrisers’ overwhelming record against Punjab
Historically, Punjab Kings have struggled against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In 17 matches against each other, Punjab have won just five. But a majority of those struggles came before 2018 when they won just two of the 19 matches. From 2018, Punjab have won three out of seven games although they lost the match against SRH earlier this season.
RECOMMENDED BET: Punjab Kings have a decent squad and a strong batting line-up and should be favourites to beat a struggling SRH side with odds of 1.73 favouring their chances.
Earlier this year, Punjab folded for 120 against SRH and lost to a Jonny Bairstow whirlwind. However, the England batter is missing this leg of the season and Punjab are more aware of their strengths now than before.
Keep an eye on…
KL Rahul: While he has made the runs, KL Rahul hasn’t been able to influence matches as much as he would have liked. A century opening stand with Mayank Agarwal went in vain last game as the middle-order fumbled. Rahul might want to bat through to improve PBKS’ chances.
Rashid Khan: Punjab have several left-handers in the middle capable of taking down Rashid Khan, but the Afghanistan spinner would be itching to make a mark this season for his team.
TIP: KL Rahul is due a match-winning knock and has odds of 2.46 to be Punjab’s top batter.
