SRH, PBKS jostle for top spot on IPL points table

Two teams with delectable batting line-ups and promising bowling units lock horns in Hyderabad.

Big picture: No. 1 on the line in high-octane clash

When Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lost to Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the teams' reverse fixture last month, it was their third defeat in four games. That loss, though, seemed to have flicked a switch.

SRH changed their bowling combination and went on a run of five successive wins. The raw fast bowlers Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain replaced the experienced quicks Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel. While Hinge hasn't been as consistent after a stunning debut, Sakib has nine wickets at 22.55. Even Eshan Malinga turned his season around, while Travis Head is also back among the runs.

Everything was going SRH's way until their run of five victories was halted by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at home.

Now they face PBKS, who themselves enter the contest on the back of consecutive defeats after going unbeaten in seven matches. That included losing to Rajasthan Royals despite scoring 222 after batting first. Their bowling continues to be a concern—they have taken the second-fewest wickets so far this season and average in excess of 41—but PBKS had some positives despite the two losses.

Marcus Stoinis was among the runs—he thumped 62* off 22 balls against RR and 40 in 31 deliveries in a rescue act against Gujarat Titans (GT). PBKS brought Suryansh Shedge back to play against GT, and he responded with 57 off 29 balls, on the way adding 79 with Stoinis from 47 to 5.

Two losses won't worry table-toppers PBKS yet. But with five group fixtures remaining ahead of the playoffs, they would be wary of not extending that run, not least because another defeat will push SRH to the top spot, although PBKS will have a game in hand.

Form guide

Sunrisers Hyderabad: LWWWW (Last five matches, most recent first)
Punjab Kings: LLWWW

Team news: Reddy fit

Nitish Kumar Reddy had missed the KKR fixture due to illness but is fit to play against PBKS on Wednesday. Reddy's return will likely push R Smaran out.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (wk), 4 Heinrich Klaasen, 5 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Salil Arora, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Eshan Malinga, 11 Shivang Kumar, 12 Sakib Hussain

Nehal Wadhera has been short of runs, so PBKS could replace him with Shashank Singh. Shashank had dismissed both Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma with his dibbly-dobbly medium pace in New Chandigarh and restricted SRH to 219. But he hasn't been among the runs himself and has dropped plenty of catches. He's also recovering from a niggle, but Brad Haddin said he should be available.

Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Cooper Connolly, 4 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 5 Suryansh Shedge, 6 Shashank Singh/Nehal Wadhera, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Xavier Bartlett, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Vijaykumar Vyshak

In the spotlight: Malinga, Arshdeep, and Jansen

Eshan Malinga is the only frontline bowler to have played all ten matches for SRH. He started the season with three wickets at an average of 41.67. Since then, though, Malinga has taken 12 wickets at 16.75. He's SRH's highest wicket-taker and has got the ball to tail in late. Malinga was one of the key drivers of SRH's resurgence. He was expensive and wicketless against KKR, and SRH lost. But Malinga will look to hit back in Hyderabad, where he averages 16.40 in comparison to 21.73 elsewhere.

Arshdeep Singh's and Marco Jansen's lack of returns has hurt PBKS. Among all bowlers to have bowled at least 180 balls this season, Jansen has the second-fewest wickets (six), while Arshdeep has been the most expensive with an economy of 10.38. In PBKS' run to the final last year, they had combined to take 37 wickets at an average of 25.73. So far this time, Arshdeep's and Jansen's numbers read 16 wickets at 40.13. While PBKS' batters have been piling up huge totals, they will need some backing from the two experienced quicks.

Pitch and conditions

On pitch no. 2, the average score in night matches across IPL 2024 and 2025 is 200, with a 3-2 record batting first. In the only game this season, SRH posted 242 against the Delhi Capitals and won by 47 runs. PBKS, meanwhile, have won five of their six matches while chasing this season. So both teams could get their way at the toss. It rained on the eve of the match, and it's expected to be cloudy in Hyderabad on Wednesday.

Stats and trivia

• Only half of Travishek enjoys facing Arshdeep. While Abhishek Sharma averages 85 and has a strike rate of 197.67 against the left-arm quick, Travis Head has fallen thrice in 42 balls against Arshdeep and averages just 19.67.
• Twenty-three batters have scored at least 250 runs at a strike rate of 150 this season. Four batters each from SRH and PBKS feature in that list.
• Pat Cummins is yet to dismiss both PBKS openers Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh. Arya has hit Cummins for 11 runs in four balls, while Prabhsimran has 25 off 17 deliveries against the SRH captain.