We have another double header of action in the Indian Premier League on Wednesday with the opening match coming from Chennai where the Punjab Kings go up against the former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad.
These two sides have both started the season slowly and as a result of that they sit in the bottom two spots in the table, so it goes without saying that this is a match neither of them will want to, or can afford to, lose.
Punjab Kings
Kings XI Punjab or Punjab Kings things don’t seem to go well for them in the Indian Premier League and a rebranding hasn’t changed any of that. They have lost two of their first three matches this term and but for a few feet they would have lost a third as well. Their net run rate is well below anything else in the competition so already they have issues that they are going to need to resolve if they are to turn this season around.
The first thing they have to sort out is their bowling attack. To have gone to the auction and come away with an attack that has gone even worse than it did last season is bordering on criminal and with the likes of Glenn Maxwell understandably passed on weakening their batting they are either going to have to find someone to go big with the bat or they need to pull a masterstroke to find someone we’ve not seen with the ball.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
If the start for the Punjab Kings has been poor it has been a terrible beginning to the season for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They have lost all three of their matches, and much like their opponents here, the big problem for the Sunrisers is that their weakness from last season has identified itself once again and has already been exposed on three occasions. They are going to need to address that and find a way to solve it else their season will be a non-starter.
That weakness is a light middle order which just crumbles under pressure time after time. The frustrating thing for Sunrisers fans is that this year they actually have options which can make a difference. Kedar Jadhav is actually an easy man to get into the side as an Indian and he has the experience to knock it around when he gets in but he also has the ability to hit straight away if needed. You sense that batting issue is getting to their bowlers too as they push too hard for wickets to restrict sides and end up serving up buffet balls.
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Key Men
It remains to be seen whether the stroke makers in this Punjab Kings side can adapt to the conditions here in Chennai so you get the feeling that KL Rahul is going to have to go big again if his side is going to have any chance of winning this match.
Rashid Khan is generally used to get rid of the gun players in the opposition so he might be used earlier in this match. When you consider that the pitch slows up and gets harder to bat on as the match goes on that might help their attack come back to life.
Betting
I haven’t bet on the match outcomes too many times in this competition but I’m happy to get involved here as I firmly believe the Sunrisers Hyderabad get off the mark for their season in this match. We all know the Sunrisers’ issue this season. It has been painted in neon lights. They just haven’t scored a run after losing their third wicket of the innings. That might well change here though because they face a side so bad at the death with the ball in hand it is untrue.
If this was in Mumbai I might not have bothered opposing the Punjab Kings but conditions do not suit the likes of Chris Gayle or Nicholas Pooran here and that is a serious chunk of their batting attack. The other thing on the side of the Sunrisers is the fact that they have played all their matches here thus far so they are used to conditions, even if they haven’t been much cop in them to date. Sunrisers haven’t had the chance to defend a score yet this season but they are generally good at doing that but given that their batting shouldn’t have difficulty against Punjab at the death the only reasonable assumption is that the Sunrisers will win this one.
Tips
WON – Back Sunrisers Hyderabad to beat Punjab Kings for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with William Hill
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