The Indian Premier League is back in Hyderabad on Thursday afternoon when two of the top three meet as the Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Kings XI Punjab in a clash where top spot could well be at stake.
Sunrisers go into the contest in third place in the table with four wins from six matches while Kings XI are a win better off from the same number of contests. Kings XI have already beaten the Sunrisers this season so the 2016 winners will be out for revenge here.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Considering their batting has rarely fired at any point in the competition this season, the fact that the Sunrisers have four wins already is very much to their credit. Their bowling attack has been brilliant right throughout the campaign, as evidenced in Mumbai on Tuesday when they defended another pathetic total.
Apart from Kane Williamson, this batting line up has looked well below the required level. That is a major worry here and another concern could be that the only side who have really got after their bowlers is the one they face here. In that match the Sunrisers batting actually went alright but they were still well beaten.
Kings XI Punjab
It was one of three brutal assaults that Chris Gayle has laid out on this tournament in the first meeting between these two sides that saw the Kings XI over the line. In fairness the Kings XI batting has been very top heavy but I don’t think that their middle and lower order are out of form it has just been that their top three or four have been awesome.
It hasn’t been just their batsmen who have got the job done for them though. The Kings XI bowling attack has been very good too. Four bowlers who are likely to play in this match are going at less than eight an over and if Axar Patel returns at any point he is going at less than nines too so this is a good all-round side.
Team News
Billy Stanlake has been ruled out of the tournament so he certainly won’t play in this match. Bhuvneshwar Kumar missed the match in Mumbai due to injury in the hope that he’ll be fit here. He’ll replace Sandeep Sharma if he is.
Kings XI Punjab will be hoping that Chris Gayle has recovered from the niggle that kept him out of the win in Delhi last time out. If he is he could replace Aaron Finch as David Miller offered something in the middle order.
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Betting
I like the Kings XI Punjab in this match. The Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling attack has been wonderful this season but I’m not convinced it has enough of an edge on the Kings XI attack to cover the huge gulf in class that the Punjab batting has over the Sunrisers one.
That was how it proved in Mohali earlier in the tournament when Kings XI beat the Sunrisers and if Bhuvneshwar Kumar doesn’t end up playing I don’t really see how the Sunrisers are going to win this. I highlighted ahead of the reverse meeting how awful the Sunrisers are against spin and they showed that again in Mumbai. Whether it is with the bat or through their many spin options I expect Kings XI to get it done here.
Tips
Back Kings XI Punjab to beat Sunrisers Hyderabad for a 4/10 stake at 1.87 with Betfair
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