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Punjab Kings have won three of their four games, while Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost four on the trot

Vishal Dikshit11-Apr-20253:42

How can SRH turn it around from here?

Big picture: Will the real SRH stand up?

One team is hammering away runs quicker than everyone bar Lucknow Super Giants, while the other has lost more wickets than anyone in the powerplay.One team is seeing a new batting hero in every game, while the other is looking around for someone to stand up with the bat.One has the second-best batting average for a team this season, while the other has the second-worst batting average for a team’s top three.It’s almost like Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) have swapped places this IPL, and now they run into each other with contrasting fortunes and form. The PBKS batting is lighting up fireworks like never before with three different batters – including Priyansh Arya, the latest IPL sensation – taking home the Player-of-the-Match awards in their three wins, and all this without Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell doing anything of note.SRH, meanwhile, have as many worries as PBKS have things to brag about. Runs have almost vanished for all of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan after their first game. Even though more and more questions are being asked about their uber-aggressive batting approach, their bowlers have the worst economy rate (10.73) and the highest bowling average (41.47) in the tournament. They have the second-fewest wickets in the middle overs (7-16), and in the absence of a big-ticket spinner in their XI – having left out Adam Zampa – there is too much responsibility on the shoulders of inexperienced Zeeshan Ansari.Be it with their batting or bowling, SRH quickly need to turn things around before the playoffs qualification gets out of their hands.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad LLLL (last four matches, most recent first)
Punjab Kings WLWWIf fit, Harshal Patel will slot back in for Punjab Kings•Associated Press

Team news and likely XIIs

Harshal Patel had missed the last match for SRH because of an illness, and was replaced by Jaydev Unadkat, who got just two overs. If Harshal is fit again, he should slot right back in for his death bowling and cutters he bangs into the pitch. The bigger question is if they will go back to Zampa and leave out Kamindu Mendis for a better wicket-taking option.Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable XII): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan, 4 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 5 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Kamindu Mendis, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Zeeshan Ansari, 10 Jaydev Unadkat/Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Simarjeet Singh/Rahul ChaharPBKS went unchanged into their last game, against CSK, and brought in right-arm quick Yash Thakur for the centurion Arya when it was time to bowl. They might do the same once again.Punjab Kings (probable XII): 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Nehal Wadhera, 5 Shashank Singh, 6 Glenn Maxwell, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Lockie Ferguson, 12 Yash Thakur

Big question

SRH head coach Dan Vettori said after their last game he still wanted his top order to go aggressive, but said they must also “respect conditions”. What’s the best way forward for them?

In the spotlight

The Pat Cummins we have seen so far is not the same Pat Cummins we saw with the ball last year. He has been leaking runs at 11.16 an over, which is a far cry from his economy rate of 7.30 after the first five matches last season. For context, his team-mates Mohammed Shami and Harshal have gone at less than 9.50 per over so far this IPL. As compared to bowling nearly half his overs in the middle overs the last season that fetched him nine wickets while going at under eight an over, Cummins has brought himself on in the powerplay more often this time but hasn’t struck more than twice and leaked 9.28 runs an over. The death overs have been the worst for him this IPL, with no wickets and an economy rate touching 19. Can he, like his batters, turn things around in this home fixture?Pat Cummins has been leaking runs at 11.16 an over this season•Associated Press

Yuzvendra Chahal appears like a shade of himself this season, having gone wicketless in three out of four outings so far. He has also not always been given his full quota, though. Against CSK, he came on only in the 17th over for his lone over and didn’t get his fourth over against Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans. If SRH’s top order fires on Saturday, he will have the big task of bowling to three left-hand batters in Abhishek, Head and Kishan, and possibly Mendis later.

Stats and trivia

• The average for Head and Abhishek’s opening stand has fallen sharply from 49.90 last season to 16.80 this IPL.
• Kishan has a delicious match-up against two PBKS bowlers. Against Arshdeep Singh, he has struck 31 runs in 15 balls while being dismissed three times. And against Chahal, he strikes at nearly 172 but has also fallen three times to him in 32 balls.
• Shreyas Iyer has a strike rate of exactly 200 this IPL.
• Maxwell’s highest IPL score (95) was against SRH back in 2014, when he was with the same team, PBKS.

Pitch and conditions

Hyderabad has hosted three games so far, where SRH batted first on all three occasions, and their totals dipped from 286 to 190 to 152. It has been raining in the lead-up to the match, along with some thunderstorms and gusts of winds. The good news is that there is no rain forecast for Saturday evening. The temperature is expected to dip below 30 degrees Celsius after hitting 36 or so in the afternoon.

Quotes

“I don’t think there are any concerns with Maxwell. We all know what a great player he is. He just finishes off the game so he’s that kind of a confident player and we all believe in him, and so does our coach Ricky Ponting.”

Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam accept their upgrades after a PCB performance review

Umar Farooq24-Feb-2021Mohammad Hafeez has rejected a Category C PCB contract. ESPNcricinfo understands Hafeez’s reason for declining the deal is that he is unhappy at being offered the lowest grade of contract.While Hafeez has been without a central contract since 2019, in 2020 he was offered Category A match fees for any game he played for Pakistan during the year, as a special case given his seniority.He has since gone on to reinvent himself in T20Is, and is second only to Dawid Malan in terms of runs scored in the format in the last 12 months: 331 to the Englishman’s 386, from one fewer innings.Mohammad Rizwan, who is in prime form, has been elevated to the top category from Category B. Fawad Alam, who had an A+ category contract with his domestic team – Sindh – has been rewarded for a stellar return to the Test side with a Category C central contract.Following a PCB review of performances, these three players were offered the upgrade in advance of the full list of central contracts, that will be announced later this year. The current contracts run till June 30. Both Rizwan and Alam accepted the offers, but Hafeez – now a T20I specialist – “politely turned down” the offer.Related

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“The decision to promote the players was made during a meeting with the chair of the selection committee, Mohammad Wasim, while we were reviewing player performances in the 2020-21 season and discussing the upcoming commitments,” Wasim Khan, the PCB chief executive, said in a statement. “It was agreed during the meeting that three players were the most deserving and outstanding performers in the season to date and, as such, they needed to be rewarded now instead of waiting for the time when PCB Central Contract List for 2021-22 will be reviewed and announced.”However, Mohammad Hafeez declined the reward and, while I am disappointed, I fully respect his decision. He wants to wait for the PCB central contract 2021-22 list, which he is fully entitled to. Hafeez has been one of our star performers of the season and we hope he will carry the form and momentum to Africa. I am sure this merit and performance-based decision will once again send out a loud and clear message to all professional cricketers that the PCB will not only recognise, appreciate and acknowledge their performances and achievements, but will also reward them so that they can strive to do better next time.”Alam has scored 320 runs in six Tests since his comeback in August 2020, including centuries in New Zealand and at home against South Africa, the first one even earning him the PCB Individual Performance of 2020 award. As for Rizwan, he moved up to B last year after replacing Sarfaraz Ahmed as the country’s leading wicketkeeper-batsman and, in the last nine months, he has become Pakistan’s leading scorer in Tests with 529 runs in seven matches at an average of 52.90. He has also been elevated to vice-captaincy in Test cricket.Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir remain out of the list, while Ahmed is in Category B, Shaheen Afridi and Azhar Ali have moved from B to A, joining Azam in the top category for PKR 1.1 million (US$ 7000 approx.).The PCB has also introduced a new ’emerging’ category for three upcoming players – Haider Ali, Mohammad Hasnain and Haris Rauf – while Naseem Shah earned a maiden Category C contract.

Among Australia’s new targets is the record of 21 consecutive ODI victories held by the men’s team

Daniel Brettig23-Sep-2020Beth Mooney’s focus on greater self-belief and quicker adaptation to specific sets of conditions and match scenarios underlines why she will enter Australia’s first international assignment on home soil since the onset of Covid-19 as the world’s best T20 batter.Far from sitting back contentedly on a dominant T20 World Cup, capped by the perfect anchor innings in Australia’s triumphant final against India at a packed MCG in March, Mooney has spent the intervening months working to build on her own levels of assurance and versatility when confronted by different situations at the top of the order alongside Alyssa Healy.This emphasis was encouraged by the fact that, apart from the final itself, Australia’s road to the T20 World Cup was anything but smooth, with early struggles followed by an anxious passage through a rain-hit semi-final against South Africa and the looming threat of coronavirus before the competition decider ultimately played out as if in a dream.ALSO READ: Alyssa Healy aims to develop 360-degree strokeplay“It’s not so much technical sides of my game but more the way I think about it,” Mooney said. “I’ve been working on that really closely with Shelley Nitschke up in Brisbane and [former Australia coach] Mark Sorrell, so that’s been really cool to work with different people and get different perspectives of what they think where I’m at, compared to what I think. Given we’ve just been training for four to five months I’m really excited about being able to put some things into fruition out in the middle and hopefully take the game on.”There’s usually times when I’m pretty unsure of myself out in the middle and not necessarily backing my decision-making and the situation in the game. But to be put under different scenarios on the wickets at training and I guess learning to adapt quicker to what the wicket’s doing and what the situation might be. They’re only scenarios but to get some feedback from the coach directly is pretty important.”I guess I needed a little bit more data to collect that what I was thinking was pretty accurate with whatever was happening with the wicket or the situation. That’s been really nice to be able to have those conversations and working closely with people who are highly respected helps as well.”Beth Mooney was the leading run-scorer at the T20 World Cup•Getty Images

Memories of those hectic days in February and March, particularly after an opening loss to India in Sydney and then a nervous chase against Sri Lanka in Perth, where the team looked briefly to be on the cusp of elimination, have bolstered Mooney’s belief that the group led by Meg Lanning is not just a collective of frontrunners, but also fighters.”We got ourselves in positions where we were put under the pump a lot more and I feel like we came out on top in a lot of those situations,” Mooney said. “We’ll be able to look back on that tournament when we’re under the pump or feeling under pressure and be able to get through those situations pretty nicely.”It was a different tournament for us in the sense that we were challenged and put under pressure a fair bit, but at the same time that’s a really good indicator of where the game’s at around the globe, people are investing in women’s cricket. To be able to have contests like we did at the World Cup means this series against New Zealand will be no different and they’ll be really tightly fought.”More broadly, Australia’s next major ambition is to reclaim the ODI World Cup, after they were eliminated in the semi-finals by India in 2017, leaving England to lift the trophy at Lord’s. “The easy part about playing in this team is everyone has a drive and ambition to be better and continually improve,” Mooney said. “We’re ranked No. 1 in the world and we have big ambitions to stay there for as long as possible and be one of the greatest teams that’s ever played.”For us, we won the T20 World Cup so there’s a bit of a target on our back now, but New Zealand are a class side and this will be the first challenge that we have in making sure we can be as consistent as possible in these T20s, and then the one-day series, the carrot dangling for us is that world record of 21 straight ODI wins.” As for the changes forced by Covid-19, Mooney said there had been plenty of sobering moments during the six months since the T20 World Cup final, all of which made the team’s first all-in training sessions since that tournament feel like even more of a privilege than usual.”The biggest one for me is seeing the humans being impacted, whether it’s their job situation or challenges they’re facing in their families, being stuck in isolation down in Melbourne, it is pretty easy to be empathetic for humankind at the moment because everything’s difficult for everyone,” Mooney said. “There was a really great vibe at training yesterday because it was the first time we’d all been back together since that World Cup final, so to be able to do something we love and do it in the current climate is something we’re really excited about and passionate about and grateful as well.”Among numerous adjustments for Mooney to make this season is the fact that, after making a significant move to the Perth Scorchers ahead of this year’s WBBL, she will turn out for the Perth team without ever setting foot in the west due to the state’s current hard border.”I’ll just stay in Brisbane post this series and probably train with Shelley Nitschke and obviously Sophie Devine’s over here with New Zealand, so there’ll be a couple of us training up here in Brisbane,” she said. “Obviously we can’t get over to Perth, and we’ll join up with the squad in Sydney before we get stuck into that tournament.”

Key takeaways

Defending champions Abahani Limited are off to a flying start in this season’s Dhaka Premier League, crushing all three opponents in the first week. But they have got company. Prime Bank Cricket Club, Legends of Rupganj and Gazi Group Cricketers have all started with three wins.A top-heavy league also means that there are four teams without a single win. It already reflects the disparity of wealth among the clubs as the DPL of this season was said to be one with several low-budget teams.Brothers Union, Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy, City Club and Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club are all winless after three games each. Partex Sporting Club beat Gazi Tyres in an early battle between the two newly promoted sides.

Best batters

Parvez Hossain Emon struck two centuries in the first week. He started the tournament with a cheap dismissal against Shinepukur Cricket Club, but then stepped up with a career-best 151 against Brothers Union. He struck nine fours and eight sixes in his 129-ball knock, while adding 246 runs for the opening stand with Shahadat Hossain, a record for Prime Bank. The pair was sent to open after Tamim Iqbal got stuck in traffic on the Dhaka-Savar highway. Shahadat also made a century in that game.Nurul Hasan, Imrul Kayes and Ariful Islam also struck hundreds in the first week. Imrul and Ariful’s combined tally for Mohammedan against Rupganj Tigers was 221. The other five batters in the innings scored a total of 29 runs.Parvez Hossain Emon celebrates his century against Brothers Union•Prime Bank Cricket Club

Best bowlers

There were several standout bowlers in the first week, but fast bowlers Mehedi Hasan and Abdul Halim stood apart with two four-wicket hauls each. Offspinner Mahedi Hasan, meanwhile, took a hat-trick on the last three balls of the match against City Club.Almost all of Bangladesh’s fast-bowling prospects, including Musfik Hasan who earned a Test call-up against Sri Lanka, took four-fors. Gazi Group Cricketers’ left-arm quick Ruyel Miah took a five-wicket haul against Mohammedan Sporting Club.

Best match

There were three nail-biting finishes in the DPL this week. Mahedi’s hat-trick helped Prime Bank beat City Club by three runs in a high-scoring game, while Anisul Islam Emon bowled a superb final over to thwart Mohammedan and lead Gazi Group to a three-run win.Aminul Islam hung around till the end to help Legends of Rupganj to a one-wicket win against Rupganj Tigers. With six runs needed in the last over, Aminul couldn’t connect properly with the first three balls against Qazi Onik but walloped the fourth ball for a straight six to start the celebrations.

Points to ponder

Abahani have definitely built the team and made a start towards their 22nd league title. Prime Bank, Legends of Rupganj, Gazi Group and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will definitely be in the running, but they have to beat Abahani to have any chance of a shot at the trophy.The likes of Brothers Union, City Club and Rupganj Tigers seem to be early contenders for teams trying to avoid relegation.

Players to watch

Many of the youngsters, particularly those from the Bangladesh Under-19 side that played in this year’s World Cup, have started the DPL quite well. Since the DPL is regarded as Bangladesh cricket’s finishing school, allrounder Ariful Islam and left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby performing for major clubs, Mohammedan and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, respectively, is a big plus.

Middle-order balance is at stake, but they’ll be hoping their youth investment pays off

Sruthi Ravindranath11-Sep-20204:47

Who’ll be the breakthrough star for Rajasthan in this IPL?

Where they finished in 2019: Seventh, with only five wins in 14 matchesPotential XI : Jos Buttler, Robin Uthappa/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Steven Smith (capt.), Ben Stokes, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande, Ankit Rajpoot/ Varun AaronBatting: Royals have retained their core of big overseas names and spent their money on young Indian talents like they’ve done in previous editions. There were quite a few standout individual performances in their dismal 2019 season but they rarely clicked as a collective. They will be keen to pin down batting positions and roles from the outset, although they have the option to keep the top six fluid.The in-form Jos Buttler will take up one of the the opening spots and is likely to have the experienced Robin Uthappa or the young Yashasvi Jaiswal as his partner. Their captain Steven Smith has the penchant to stay at the crease and see off tricky chases, while a lot more will be expected from the mercurial Sanju Samson.Most importantly, their middle order looks rather fragile without Ben Stokes, who is yet to confirm his IPL availability. While teenager Riyan Parag showed glimpses of promise last season, they might have trouble filling the middle-order hole left by Stokes if he opts out. Stokes will be hard to replace as they do not have a like-for-like replacement for him in their squad, but they do have David Miller as another overseas batting option. And perhaps Tom Curran can fill some of the hole at a push.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Bowling: Royals are well stocked in the fast-bowling department but there seems to be a lack of variety with their overseas options: Jofra Archer, Tom Curran, Andrew Tye and Oshane Thomas are all right-arm quicks, and Archer will be the first choice for the starting XI. Their spin unit is also a bit one-dimensional, with three Indian wristspinners in the mix.Shreyas Gopal, who shone in Royals’ otherwise disappointing season last year, impressed in the middle overs and powerplay and should play a big role for them this time around too, especially if the UAE tracks are on the slower side.As for the Indian quicks, adapting to the conditions and executing their variations – where they failed last year – will be key. Young talents like Kartik Tyagi and Akash Singh are waiting in the wings.Young player to watch out for: The franchise has unearthed a number of young talents over the years and this time they’ve invested in India Under-19 players. Tyagi was picked up by Royals for INR 1.3 crore at the auction. The 19-year-old, who regularly registers upwards of 140kmph, impressed at the 2020 U-19 World Cup, picking 11 wickets in six games, including a memorable 4 for 24 against Australia. He has been training under Royals’ fast bowling development coach Steffan Jones and was also part of a preparatory camp in Nagpur earlier this year. He will be keen to showcase his express pace and ability to nail yorkers if given a chance on the big stage.Coaching staff: Andrew McDonald (head coach), Amol Muzumdar (batting coach), Sairaj Bahutule (spin bowling coach) and Rob Cassell (fast bowling coach).