additional charges: With skipper Aiden Markram away on national duty for South Africa, Bhuvneshwar Kuma will have to lead the team as well as its bowling attack. , photo credit: Nagra Gopal
Former champions Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals would like to start the new season of Tata IPL on a winning note at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium (Uppal) here on Sunday afternoon.
With skipper Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen, who are on national duty for South Africa, unavailable for the opener, veteran swing merchant Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead SRH in Sunday’s game.
Calling Shots: Kumar Sangakkara, the head coach of Rajasthan Royals, believes that it is all about settling down to play good cricket. , photo credit: Nagra Gopal
Last year’s runners-up, the Royals will be banking on in-form Jos Buttler and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who won the Orange and Purple Caps last season. Royals will look to Buttler to continue his impressive recent form and will have Yashasvi Jaiswal joining him at the top. Another equally talented youngster Devdutt Padikkal will be followed by skipper Sanju Samson. West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer added an extra dimension to the Royals’ batting with his explosive skills.
In bowling, left-arm fast bowler Trent Boult, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma and Obed McCoy along with clever R.K. Ashwin should be kept an eye on.
SRH’s hopes, on the other hand, rest on the form of the batsmen – big-hitting Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips, experienced Mayank Agarwal, Amolpreet Singh, Abdul Samad, left-arm spin all-rounder Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi.
SRH’s bowling attack has plenty of depth and variety, with leg-spinner Adil Rashid, pacers Karthik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar, Umran Malik and T. Natarajan all capable of testing the best of the batsmen and all-rounder Washington Sundar a key asset in any match. are ready for. challenge.
issues resolved
Bhuvneshwar is confident that the issue of finding finishers that plagued his team last season has been resolved. “I think the middle order is well settled now,” he added.
On Brook, Bhuvneshwar felt that contrary to popular belief he was very good against the spinners. “It is a new season and a different challenge as we are moving forward with new domestic and international players,” he added.
“The bowling unit is very experienced now. Umran is the youngest but now he is also experienced and has played for the country. He did well last season as well. It’s about going out there and doing well.
new season, new rules
Royals’ director of cricket and head coach Kumara Sangakkara said they had a great last season but this season was different with new rules and new players. “It’s about settling down to play a good game. Let’s see how it goes,” he said.
“We discussed the rule and we hope it is correct. But, as the league progresses, sides will get used to using it more and more,” Sangakkara said.