The Indian Premier League regular season concludes with a double header on Sunday which begins with the Sunrisers Hyderabad looking to secure a spot in the top two of the IPL 2024 table when they entertain the Punjab Kings.
This has been a much better season for the Sunrisers, one which will finish in the final week of the campaign whatever they do here. The Punjab Kings’ term ends when the final ball is bowled in this one so this is all about the home side.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
The Sunrisers Hyderabad know that they are guaranteed an extension to their season but also that they have a chance of getting two bites at the cherry in making the final. In order for that opportunity to arise they will need to win here and they will then hope that the Kolkata Knight Riders win the later game. They can only concentrate on the first part of that equation but the fact that they will be involved in the finals should give them enough freedom to really attack this.
One issue that the Sunrisers might have is having had their last match completely washed out, which means that they haven’t played for 11 days so they will need to guard against a bit of rust setting in. Assuming that doesn’t form then we can expect an aggressive batting display from the Sunrisers, one which will look to put the opposing bowlers under pressure from the beginning. They can then dictate the game with their bowling attack from there.
Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings have really flattered to deceive this season but they did offer up some pride last time out when they came away from a clash against the Rajasthan Royals with a win and now they will be looking to finish their campaign on a high with a second straight victory. That won’t make up for what has gone before, but it will at least offer up the vibes that they are moving in the right direction ahead of next season, where really they will be under pressure to perform much stronger.
The problem the Punjab Kings have here is with their season already over a number of the international organisations have called their players back to prepare for the World Cup which is leaving them with just two overseas options. That will give their Indian players the chance to shine but clearly there is going to be a drop off in quality and there might be one or two players playing out of position. The positive is that they have nothing to lose.
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Key Players
I would imagine the Sunrisers Hyderabad would like Heinrich Klaasen to find some form ahead of the finals. He started the season like a house on fire but he has only passed 20 in two of his last eight innings now so whatever happens here, him finding form would be a positive.
Rilee Rossouw was omitted from the South Africa squad for the T20 World Cup. The veteran big hitter has the ideal stage to show what they are going to be missing with a big innings against a decent bowling attack.
Betting
I’m expecting the Sunrisers Hyderabad to look to get well on top of this game early and as such they could really light up in the powerplay. They won’t have to worry about a couple of the Punjab Kings’ overseas bowlers who have bowled well for them in Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada because they have headed home to prepare for the World Cup so with the exception of Nathan Ellis, who Travis Head will have faced loads of times domestically, they will come up against inexperienced home bowlers.
The first six over run line for Hyderabad is up at 63.5, which is probably a reaction to their last match when they went past 100 in the powerplay but with nothing to lose I’m not convinced it is high enough. This isn’t the strongest Punjab Kings bowling unit by any stretch of the imagination and whether they are chasing a low total or posting a score I expect Hyderabad to look to get after everything. That has been the way they have set their stall out this season and I don’t envisage anything changing now. I’ll take the over.
Tips
Back Sunrisers Hyderabad First 6 Overs – Over 63.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.85 with Betway
