We have a double header of action in the Indian Premier League on Sunday with the first match seeing the IPL 2024 season heading back to Ahmedabad as the former champions Gujarat Titans take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Both sides have a win and a loss on their record this season so the winners will be able to join the growing number of teams on four points at the top of the table while the losers will just start to play a bit of catch up.
Gujarat Titans
The Gujarat Titans won their opening match of the season and then went down in a repeat of the final of last term in the other one but they were fortunate in that first game when the Mumbai Indians failed to get over the line from a seemingly comfortable position. They are not in a spot where they need to panic just yet but they would like a convincing performance just to silence the doubters who are beginning to swirl.
This was always going to be a different season for the Titans though. They came into it with a new captain and without their leading wicket taker from the last campaign. If that wasn’t enough their gun bowler has been struggling over the last 12 months or so. The other issue they might run into is that they are a batter light. They might be able to get around that with the Impact Player option but it is another concern which is beginning to form.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have done things the other way around. They were beaten in their opening match but then came out and delivered a record breaking performance to get off the mark for the season. There are positives and negatives from their opening two matches but they would struggle to have more confidence heading into this third match of their season if they tried. A win here would see them looking up after a couple of campaigns of difficulty.
The obvious positive for the Sunrisers is that their batting has caught fire from the get go. They have for me the most fearsome hitter in the game today in Heinrich Klaasen but others have given him good support. The issue is with their bowling. Even with Pat Cummins in the ranks they are going around the park and at the death you do fear for them. They are crying out for the arrival of Wanindu Hasaranga as their spin options are pretty ordinary.
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Key Players
Rashid Khan hasn’t come to the party yet for the Gujarat Titans in this competition and there is a strong correlation with him going well and the Titans going well and the same is true of the opposite. It would be helpful if he had a good game here.
Heinrich Klaasen got all the plaudits for his top scoring effort in the record score put up earlier in the week but Travis Head smashed 62 from just 24 balls to get the innings up and running and he now heads to the ground where he scored a century in the World Cup final a few months ago.
Betting
I’m expecting a high scoring match here, as I expect most of the matches involving the Sunrisers Hyderabad to be. I say that because Hyderabad have a batting line up which has hit the ground running this season and has a good mix of form, power and depth and that can be a devastating combination. They also have a bowling unit which has already gone round the park twice and that is a trend that I don’t see changing here.
Gujarat went the distance against the Chennai Super Kings earlier in the week so their attack isn’t yet firing on all cylinders and while their batting is deceiving a little at the minute, they are up against a leaky bowling unit so if they can’t get going against this lot they might not be able to at all. Throw in the heat which is going to make bowling tricky and I think we have the prospect of a high scoring match. I like over 356.5 runs in this one.
Tips
Back Over 356.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
