SRH vs RR: RR win the toss and elect to bat first, Warner dropped

SRH vs RR, September 27 2021, 7:30 PM IST

It’s unusual to see Sunrisers Hyderabad go through this sort of a poor form. Usually a team that knows its limitations very well, yet comes out very competitive and pushes the strongest of teams to the limit. And it’s even more unusual to see a star like David Warner struggle for runs. It’s easy to criticise but he’s been their mainstay with the bat, carrying the batting group and leadership on his shoulders season after season.

Is it just in the mind, technical or something that has to be sorted out, SRH fans would love to see a turnaround soon. It’s good to see the management trust Warner in the second leg in the absence of Jonny Bairstow, but will they give him a longer rope. Or is the idea of Jason Roy too enterprising with a very slim chance of advancing to the playoffs?

One thing is for sure. A loss today will end their mathematical chance of going to the play-offs. SRH are going through a phase similar to CSK last year. But do they have it in them to bow out on a high – if they have to – with successive wins like Dhoni and Co. did? And they are playing CSK, KKR, RCB and MI after today – all tough games.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals have quietly put themselves in a pretty good position to finish in the top four. MI, KKR and PBKS being stuck in the middle has given them a very good chance, especially having one more game extra in the bag than others. And to their credit, they have played a fearless brand of cricket that has been good to see.

Mahipal Lomror’s clean-hitting further adds strength to a line-up that has batters who can attack right from the word go. They bat deep too. They may not have stalwarts, but the bowling has great variety. Fizz getting back to his old, fresh self with the mix of young Indian talents keeps them in good stead.

Many Changes in both sides

Rajasthan Royals:

Kartik Tyagi is out with injury. Morris and Lewis return in place of Miller and Shamsi.

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Jason Roy is at the top for David Warner. Pandey, Kedar miss out. Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma are playing. Sid Kaul replaces injured Khaleel. 

Teams:

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha(w), Kane Williamson(c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman