The second match of the IPL will be crucial for both teams, as neither team wants to start their journey as the loser. SRH was the runner-up of the last IPL season and seemed motivated to win today’s match. However, RR were no less in the last season, finishing in 3rd place. So let’s see which team will win today’s match and which player can help the team towards victory.
Sunrisers Hyderabad had a great IPL season last year, reaching the final but falling short against Kolkata Knight Riders. Captained by Australian Pat Cummins, SRH has opted for a strong squad this season with key players like Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, and Mohammad Shami. SRH also strengthened their batting by adding Ishan Kishan to the team. Head was their top run-scorer in the last season, while T Natarajan took 19 wickets in the last season.
The team remains largely the same which will help them to regroup easily. Mohammad Shami is the new face and he will surely lead the pace attack alongside Pat Cummins in the team. Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Reddy’s power-hitting will be crucial in the middle order. SRH will aim to go one step further and claim their second IPL title since 2016.
Rajasthan Royals had a solid IPL 2024, making it to the playoffs before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in Qualifier 2. However they have lost a few of their best players coming into this season. They let go of Jos Buttler, along with senior players like Ashwin, Boult, and Chahal. RR now is left with a young squad with only a few experienced players like Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana, and Sandeep Sharma.
Jaiswal will be a key player at the top, while Riyan Parag was their top scorer last season with 573 runs. Avesh Khan who is not a part of the team anymore was their top wicket taker with his 19 wickets. After losing the qualifier last season, RR will be eager to make a strong statement in IPL 2025.
As per CricOpinion, Sunrisers Hyderabad will win this match against Rajasthan Royals at their home venue. SRH have a strong batting lineup while having a quality bowling lineup including Mohammad Shami, Pat Cummins and Harshal Patel. Rajasthan will have to wait for their first win of the IPL 2024.
Sanju Samson had a phenomenal IPL 2024 with the bat, scoring 531 runs in 15 innings. Unlike previous seasons, Sanju remained consistent in the 17th season of IPL maintaining an average of 48.27 and a blistering strike rate of 153.47. Not only his last season but also his records against Sunrisers Hyderabad are indicating the chances of him scoring big in the first match. In 19 matches against SRH, Sanju has scored 698 runs at an average of 43.62 and a strike rate of 138.49.
Sandeep Sharma was one of Rajasthan Royals’ most reliable bowlers in IPL 2024. He proved to be the best death bowler for Rajasthan in the previous two seasons. He picked up 13 wickets in just 11 games in IPL 2024. His personal best came against Mumbai Indians which is the best by any bowler in IPL 2024. He will be entering two key players' battles in the second match of the IPL 2025 against SRH. Sandeep will go against Travis Head who he has dismissed twice in 21 balls restricting him to just 25 runs. He has troubled Ishan Kishan significantly with three dismissals.
This will be an exciting battle to watch at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. This is a home game of SRH and they are a strong team at their home as they enjoy the advantage of batting friendly wickets in the first innings and then use their cutters to deceive batters in the second innings. Sunrisers Hyderabad's bowling unit is looking solid and will most probably win this match.
More Links