There is one more match in the Indian Premier League before the next set of double headers take place over the weekend and that comes from Hyderabad on Friday as the Sunrisers Hyderabad host the stuttering former leaders Gujarat Lions.
Sunrisers have had a bit of a break in this tournament in the last week but with that they have slipped down the table. Gujarat have slid down the table because they have been losing matches so the incentive is there for both sides to win here.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Sunrisers started poorly as we all know but they’ve been going along quite nicely in recent times. At the beginning of the tournament their batting was all about David Warner but now that Kane Williamson is back to support him that is no longer the case.
In Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mustafizur Rahman the Sunrisers have two of the better bowlers in the competition and if the likes of Ashish Nehra and whichever spinner they go with deliver the goods too then this side are going to be tough to beat.
Gujarat Lions
The Lions go into this match off the back of two defeats which have seen them slide from top spot to second place but a win here will move them back to the summit ahead of another busy weekend of fixtures.
Dwayne Bravo missed the last match which was a blow but it has been a while since the Lions have delivered the goods at the death and perhaps even more worryingly is that they seem more and more reliable on their opening partnership getting them off to a good start if they are to be competitive.
Team news
Yuvraj Singh has used the Sunrisers’ recent break to his advantage. The Indian all-rounder has recovered from injury and all the indications are that he is going to make his debut for the side. That strengthens their batting line up and is going to be significant.
Gujarat Lions look likely to bring Dwayne Bravo back into the side but it hasn’t yet been confirmed who he will replace. James Faulkner and Aaron Finch look most vulnerable but can a side actually leave out Aaron Finch. That dilemma is seriously affecting their balance.
Form
Sunrisers Hyderabad: LLWWWLW
Gujarat Lions: WWWLWWWLL
Head to head: Sunrisers Hyderabad 1-0 Gujarat Lions
In Hyderabad: First meeting
Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium
This will be the Sunrisers’ penultimate home match this season. In the five matches on the ground so far four of them were won by the chasing side but the Sunrisers managed to put up a huge total against Bangalore last time out and they were able to defend it.
Matches have generally been low scoring here, not necessarily because the wicket has been bad but because the ground is so big and that often keeps the boundary count down. In a game where there were 373 runs last time out there were only 14 sixes so clearing the rope takes some doing.
Betting
I took the boundaries in the last match on this ground mostly because Bangalore’s bowling attack can’t defend the run flow but the Lions have an attack that provides good variety and they can control the run rate so I’m reluctant to take that again.
I don’t need to hit the side markets here though because I’m quite confident the home side Sunrisers Hyderabad are the team to be on here. They have already thrashed Gujarat Lions in this tournament and when you add Yuvraj Singh to their mix they look much stronger than they did then.
Kane Williamson never played in that match either and he and Yuvraj added to Warner and Shikhar Dhawan give the home side a really strong top four to complement their solid bowling attack.
I’ve been concerned with the balance of the Lions side for a while now and of course the likes of Smith, Finch and McCullum can all win matches on their own but the Sunrisers have them matched in match winners and I think they can cover them on the scoreboard too.
Tips
WON – Back Sunrisers Hyderabad to beat Gujarat Lions for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with Betfred
Back them here:
