In the 40th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be locking horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Dubai International Cricket Ground on Thursday. Despite commencing the tournament with back-to-back wins, RR has failed to continue the momentum so far. After ten games in the competition, the Royals have four wins which have barred them to be in the race consistently for a top-four finish.
Although the trio of Jos Buttler, Jofra Archer, and Rahul Tewatia has been doing well, the team needs to fire as a unit. However, the Royals registered a dominating win over CSK, which should give them much-needed confidence for this game. On the other hand, SRH is well on the verge of not managing to reach the playoffs as they have won three of their nine games in IPL 2020. Like the Royals, the Sunrisers also haven’t fired as a unit, with captain David Warner unable to score freely at the top of the order.
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A lot depends on Rashid Khan, who holds the key for the Sunrisers in the middle overs, and much is also expected of uncapped pacer T Natarajan as well. Despite dominating most of that game, Sunrisers Hyderabad succumbed to a stunning onslaught from Rahul Tewatia and Riyan Parag, something they will be looking to avenge this time around.
With both teams looking to keep their slim hopes of qualification alive, a thrilling game can be expected at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday. As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.
#1. Jonny Bairstow vs Kartik Tyagi
One of the best limited-overs batsmen, Jonny Bairstow will be facing Kartik Tyagi and it promises a lot on paper. The SRH opener was the highest run-scorer for the team in the game against KXIP, so he would be keen to continue the momentum. Bairstow has an excellent IPL record and on the other hand, Kartik has emerged as a wicket-taker for RR and he will be under pressure to prove his worth.
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Tyagi will be playing the role of a wicket-taker. He is the second-highest wicket-taker for RR in the ongoing season as he has sclaped 6 wickets in 6 games at a strike rate of 23. He will be looking forward to improving the numbers this season for sure.
#2. Rahul Tewatia vs Rashid Khan
The flamboyant all-rounder, Rahul Tewatia is one of the highest run-scorer for RR in the last game against SRH as he had amassed 45 runs off just 28 balls and he has also taken six wickets this season. Tewatia’s battle with Rashid Khan promises to be an enthralling one. The latter has a knack for taking crucial wickets which will help him disturbing the rhythm of RR. He has emerged as one of the best bowlers for CSK this season and Rahul will have to bat at his ferocious best to unsettle the T20 specialist spinner.
#3. David Warner vs Jofra Archer
The Royals would not have been anywhere in sight in IPL 2020. So, when Jofra Archer bowls against SRH, David Warner will have to once again not just fend off the fast bowler but also score enough to ensure that his side. Unfortunately, Warner’s form hasn’t exactly been great, so it’s a double challenge for the Australian.
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Warner has, to be fair, not done too badly, with 331 runs from nine matches. The last time the two sides met, Archer had the last laugh, but Warner still got 48 runs. Archer has claimed 13 wickets from 10 matches at an economy of 6.75 and none of the other Rajasthan Royals bowlers have been half as good.
