Sunrisers and Royals face each other for their IPL 2023 opener
Both teams are starting the new season with lineups that look much better on paper.
Sunrisers Mayank Agarwal brought a top-order to go alongside an exciting middle order in the competition – how will he handle the headache of picking just two out of Aidan Markram, Harry Brooke, Glenn Phillips, and Henrik Claassen? It remains to be seen – and they have significantly increased their spinning pool. by contracting with Kabir Akel Hussain and Adel Rashid.
The Royals, meanwhile, have a true bowling all-rounder in Jason Holder, and the Impact’s player base is best suited as an ally to allay any concerns about batting or bowling depth.
How will these upgrades translate to field performance? We’ll see you very soon, from Sunday at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium.
Team News – Bhubaneswar leads RH club
The Sunrisers have just five overseas players to choose from, with three South Africans – Markram, Klaassen, and Marko Jansen – only joining the squad on April 3 after the ODI series against the Netherlands. In the absence of Markram, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will captain Sunrisers in his first match.
Sandeep Sharma replaces the famous Krishna, who was ruled out for the season with a stress fracture in his back. Obed McCoy, who is recovering from a knee injury, is a questionable player.
Impact and Throw Player Strategy – Lots of options
Sunrise Hyderabad
Probable batting XI: 1 Abhishek Sharma, 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Harry Brock, 5 Glen Phillips (week), 6 Abdul Samad, 7 Washington Sundar, 8 Akil Hussain, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (c), 10 Imran Malik, 11 T. Natarajan
Sunrisers can pick just three internationals in their first line-up if they bat first, and bring in a fourth player – either pacer Fadla Farooqui or bowler Adil Rashid – depending on the situation.
Probable 11th first bowl: 1 Mayank Agarwal, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Harry Brooke, 4 Glenn Phillips (WK), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Akil Hussain, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar (C), 9 Adil Rashid/Fazhaq Farooqui Imran Malik, 11 T. Natarajan
If he bowls first, the Sunrisers can opt for six basic bowling options on the field, and bring in Abhishek Sharma or another batsman to chase the run.
In Jason Holder, Rajasthan Royals have authentic bowling this time
In Jason Holder, the Rajasthan Royals have an authentic bowler this time around • AFP/Getty Images
Rajasthan Royals
Possible opening XI: 1 Jos Buttler (Wk), 2 Yashswi Jaiswal, 3 Devdat Padikal, 4 Sanju Samson (C), 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Ryan Parag, 7 Akash Vashishtha, 8 Jason Holder, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Trent Bolt, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal
Powerful left-handed batsman Akash Vashishth, who bowls a bit of left-arm spin, could start for the Royals if he is batting first, which would give him additional batting depth alongside West Indian Jason Holder is. Switching roles, either Yashswi Jaiswal or Devdutt Padikkal could make way for the pacer – Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, and Sandeep are likely options.
Probable 1st Bowl XI: 1 Jos Buttler (week), 2 Yashswi Jaiswal, 3 Sanju Samson (c), 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Ryan Parag, 6 Akash Vashishtha, 7 Jason Holder, 8 R Ashwin, 9 Trent Bolt, 10 Navdeep Saini / Kuldeep Sen / Sandeep Sharma 11 Yuvvendra Chahal
In a first-bowl scenario, Padiccal could play the role of an impact player when the Royals begin their hunt.
The States That Matter – Hussain v. Left Hand
His left-handed spin is efficient and not entirely dependent on the opposition – his T20 economy rate from early 2020 is 6.22 against right-handers and 7.53 against left-handers. The IPL will certainly challenge them: it’s not necessarily a lack of skill that Akshar Patel (8.72), Ravindra Jadeja (9.03), and Krunal Pandya (9.10) all have very high EPAs against left-handers this period.
The Sunrisers will be happy to have Hussain and Rashid in their squad, as they had problems with spin last season. His 15-wicket haul was the lowest of any team in IPL The Royals top with 40.
Death bowling was a key problem for the Royals last season. The holder can help them sort it out – he has the second-best average (12.19) of all bowlers with at least ten wickets in the last four overs in the IPL since the start of 2020, while also averaging 9.54 runs.
In T20 cricket, Stand needs one wicket to cross the 200 mark.
Pitch and position – pace ace
Since the start of 2018, fast bowlers in IPL matches at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium have averaged 25.17 and an economy of 8.07. It doesn’t go much better than one venue in India which has hosted at least 20 IPL matches this season. However, when it comes to spinner performance, the field is in the middle of the pack. Therefore, speed should play an important role on Sunday.
