IPL 2022: The fifth match of the Indian Premier League will see two former IPL champions face each other. It will be an encounter between the 2016 champions, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and the 2008 champions, Rajasthan Royals. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST at the MCA Stadium, Pune. Both teams ended last season at the bottom. SRH finished the 2021 season in eighth place, while RR finished seventh.
The Sunrisers looked a bit confused at the auction and ended up buying a lot of uncapped players. However, Rajasthan have got some good names in their ranks, which makes the chances better against the Sunrisers. So let’s see how the playing XI for both teams work in their first match.
IPL 2022: RR vs SRH 5th Match Prediction and Preview
Sunrisers Hyderabad
New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson, will lead the Sunrisers Hyderabad. The team is lacking the “X” factor in their group. There is no such player that can win you the match single-handedly. They don’t have a settled opening pair, so the management needs to try something unusual. Rahul Tripathi and Aiden Markram might play as potential openers in the team. The skipper will come one down in the batting order.
They have got an exciting group of Indian uncapped players but lack experience. And trusting uncapped to perform in every match would be too harsh. The West Indian wicket-keeper batsman, Nicholas Pooran, is the one player on whom the team can rely. Washington Sundar will be their premium spinner, along with some part-time Abdul Samad. The only thing that seems competitive is the pace bowling. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, and Marco Jansen are very good T20 bowlers.
Probably XI: Aiden Markram, Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson (C), Nicholas Pooran (WK), Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik.
Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson will captain the side with a totally new squad. The players they bought at the auction make their side stronger now. The franchise has added some big names like Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Chahal and Ashwin. So now the next big question is to choose the right playing XXI. Superstar batsman Jos Butler will open along with Devdutt Padikkal. Yashasvi Jaiswal might be shifted to No.3.
Sanju Samson, Shimron Hetmyer, and Rassie van der Dussen make a really destructive middle order for RR. Riyan Parag might be used as a floater on the team. The bowling attack is one of the best in the tournament. Both spin and pace bowling have some big names in T20 cricket. Chahal and Ashwin will be the premium spinners for the team. Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna will lead the pace attack.
Probably XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C), Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie van der Dussen, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult.
IPL 2022: Rajasthan vs Sunrisers Match, Pitch and Toss update
The surface at the Maharashtra Cricket Association is good for pace bowling. So the pacers from both teams will enjoy bowling on this track. Batsmen can use the bounce to good effect. Second innings dew will always be a challenge for the bowlers to hold the grip. Bowling first will be ideal on this pitch. The team winning the toss will go to the field first.
SRH vs RR: Head to Head Stats
Both teams have neck-to-neck records when playing against each other. Both teams have faced each other 15 times in IPL history. Sunrisers Hyderabad are just one win ahead of Rajasthan. SRH has won eight wins as compared to RR’s seven. So this will be the right opportunity for RR to make it even.
SRH vs RR: Players to watch out for
Jos Buttler is among the best T20 openers in the world right now. He is the one who can adjust and win the game in any situation. Butler has also performed exceptionally well in the Indian Premier League for RR at the top. So definitely, he will be the player to watch out for.
Trent Boult will be the bowler from Rajasthan who can be a game changer. However, they have got other quality bowlers as well, but on a seaming pitch, Boult will be more lethal. The Kiwi pacer is a complete bowler to have in your team.
Kane Williamson will be the backbone for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 15th edition. He also knew the fact that the batting department lacked experience. And it might run in his favour because he likes to perform under pressure. That’s what he has done over his career at international level and in the IPL as well.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the leader of the Indian pace attack. He is a multi-skilled pacer in white-ball cricket. Bhuvneshwar can bowl in the powerplay to take wickets and also at the death to restrict the opposition. He has done enough for SRH over the years and this season as well all the onus will be in his shoulders.
IPL 2022: Predicted XI team of the Match
Wicket-keeper: Jos Butler (RR), Sanju Samson (RR), Nicholas Pooran (SRH)
Batsmen: Kane Williamson (SRH), Van Der Dussen (RR), Rahul Tripathi (SRH)
All-rounder: Aiden Markram (SRH), Washington Sundar (SRH)
Bolwers: Ravichandran Ashwin (RR), Yuzi Chahal (RR), T. Natarajan (SRH)
Tip: Jos Butler will be the captain of the team. Kane Williamson will be the vice-captain for the team. Rajasthan Royals are the superior team of both, as per the quality of their players. So we will back RR to win the match.