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Peter Green - March 21, 2025
Two teams that reached the knockout stage last season will face off in the second match of the 2025 Indian Premier League on Sunday. Their knockout meeting last season ended in a victory for SRH, but they failed to bag their second title as they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals had poor form toward the end of last season but still secured a top four spot. This was largely due to their strong performances in the first half of the season. They reached the playoffs and defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore to meet SRH in knockout 2. As mentioned, they were defeated by SRH and this ended their IPL 2024 campaign.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals have faced each other 20 times in the Indian Premier League since SRH’s inception in 2013. As of May 2024, SRH holds a slight advantage with 11 victories, while RR secured 9 wins.
Their inaugural encounter on April 27, 2013, saw RR clinch an eight-wicket victory at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. At the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, SRH and RR faced each other five times. SRH has emerged victorious in three of these encounters, while RR has won twice. Notably, RR’s most significant victory at this venue came in 2023, when they defeated SRH by a substantial margin of 72 runs.
Team News & Key Players to Watch
Openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been pivotal in providing explosive starts. However, Head’s recent struggles against left-arm pacers, resulting in consecutive first-ball dismissals, are a concern. Middle-order batsman Heinrich Klaasen has been exceptional against spin. Additionally, Ishan Kishan is added to the team which makes a solid batting lineup.
The bowling side including Harshal Patel, Pat Cummins, and Adam Zampa have been effective in the second half, often restricting opposition runs. Mohammed Shami, returning to the IPL after missing last season due to a knee injury, is expected to make an impact for SRH, given his experience in both national and domestic cricket.
Captain Sanju Samson has been in stellar form, and he has delivered stunning performances often in the first matches for RR in the last many seasons. Riyan Parag has also contributed significantly. With Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana and Dhruv Jurel in the top order and with Shimron Hetmyer at the middle, adding depth to the lineup, offering a potent finishing option.
Jofra Archer has been instrumental in the powerplay, but missing Trent Boult is a major cause for the team. Players like Tushar Deshpande, Wanindu Hasaranga and Sandeep Sharma are expected to play crucial roles, especially against SRH’s middle order.
Travis Head (SRH) – Travis Head is known for explosive starts and scored multiple powerplay fifties last season, making him a strong candidate for an early impact.
Mohammed Shami (SRH) – Shami has picked up atleast 19 wickets in his last five appearances in IPL. His latest IPL season was in 2023 and he bagged 28 wickets in that season, securing the Purple cap.
Sanju Samson (RR) – Sanju Samson has scored at least one fifty in the first three matches of each of the past five IPL seasons. He scored two fifties in the first three matches of the last two IPL seasons and he was one among the top scorers in the last campaign.
Captain- Pat Cummins
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Aniket Verma, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Adam Zampa.
Captain- Riyan Parag
Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals have met Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of IPL in 2022 and 2023. Interestingly, RR won both the games, and both the games saw at least 60 runs difference in the margin. In fact, in the first three games of the last three seasons, RR lost just once and won eight in a very good margin.
Additionally, the pitch is said to be batting friendly. Their latest meeting in their opening game at this venue saw Rajasthan smashing a stunning 85 runs in the powerplay itself. Given Rajasthan’s aggressive top order and their recent high-scoring powerplays, backing them to score over 88.5 runs in the first 10 overs is a strong option—especially if they bat first.
Also, Rajasthan’s number 3 batsman Sanju Samson have a stunning record in the opening games of the past many IPL seasons. Also, he handed over the captaincy to Riyan Parag for the first three games, which will likely help him to play pressure free.
