Sunrisers have questions to ask of their team
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals are at the bottom of the points table as they go head to head on Monday in the Indian Premier League. SRH come off the back of an unimpressive show against Punjab, while RR were decimated by Delhi in pretty much similar ways. In a game of who is the worse team on paper, RR have the edge on the market with odds of 1.70 to beat Hyderabad.
Like RR, Sunrisers have issues to sort with their playing XI and we could see them go back to benching David Warner after two dismal outings for the Australian opener. This could impact their batting order with Manish Pandey or Kane Williamson moving up. However, with their bowling shoddy and over reliant on Rashid Khan, a win looks unlikely. They have odds of 2.12 to beat RR, but will have their task cut out.
RR hold edge in head-to-head
Overall, these teams have equal wins across seven seasons with seven wins apiece. But surprisingly, RR have won more than SRH in the last three seasons, edging them 3-2 on wins. This despite Rajasthan’s ordinary seasons and Rashid Khan’s presence is remarkable and shows RR have had batters to take down SRH’s bowling strength.
RECOMMENDED BET RR have the better squad on paper. RR should be the winner this time with odds of 1.70.
When these teams met earlier in the season, a Jos Buttler hundred drove Rajasthan to an emphatic win. They don’t have Buttler this time around, so will hope Evin Lewis is fit to tackle Rashid for this game.
Keep an eye on…
RR overseas picks: RR had two forced changes the other night with Chris Morris and Evin Lewis carrying niggles. Ideally, the two should be in RR’s first-choice side. But Shamsi and Miller have had just one outing. It’ll be interesting to see what RR do with this conundrum.
David Warner: He came into the season with a point to prove but has looked all at sea so far with two very poor innings and a silly dropped catch the other night. The former SRH skipper is in danger of being dropped again but if he plays against RR, the match ups should actually suit him well.
TIP David Warner is fighting to keep his place in the side – back him at 3.15 to top score for them. It’s a battle he needs to win, and very well might.
