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As the race for the top four becomes more exciting, every contest becomes crucial, and one of such is this. The 40th match of the Indian Premier League 2021 will see bottom-placed SRH taking on RR at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The Royals, who have struggled with countless injuries and unavailability, have had a mixed campaign in the IPL 2021. They have played nine games so far, winning four and losing five. They are sitting in the chaotic mid-to-bottom table with eight points and a pretty bad net run-rate of -0.319. RR won their first game of the UAE leg by defending eight runs of the last two overs, followed by a 33-rum loss against Delhi Capitals.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have had an abysmal season. They have lost eight matches so far and are reeling at the bottom of the table. Their only win came against Punjab Kings when they chased down 121 with nine wickets remaining. In the UAE leg, they were hammered by eight wickets in the first game by DC, followed by a five-run loss against PBKS as they failed to chase down 126.
Key players
Rashid Khan is the best T20 spinner in the world and has performed in the leagues across the globe. The Afghanistan leg-spinner has speed, terrific control and variations, making him extremely hard to deal with. He has picked 385 wickets in 278 T20s while conceding at 6.33 rpo, with three five-wicket hauls and six four-wicket hauls. Rashid is the most valuable player for SRH over the years and has done well this season, too, picking 12 scalps in nine games at a terrific 5.97 rpo.
Jason Holder offers great all-round value in the shortest format of the game. The tall right-arm bowler can be a threat with the new ball and generate extra bounce off the surface. Holder has 124 wickets in the T20 format while conceding at 7.72 rpo.
He also has 1290 runs to his name at an average of over 15 and strike rate of 127. He has been good for SRH in limited opportunities, picking six wickets in three games this season. Holder was outstanding in the last game, picking 3/19 and smashing 47 off 29 balls.
Kane Williamson is one of the best batters in world cricket right now across formats. The New Zealand batter has amassed 5309 runs in the shortest format at an average of 32 while scoring at 125. Williamson has one century and 38 fifties to his credit. The current SRH skipper has done a fantastic job for them over the years. He hasn’t been at his best this season, scoring 147 runs in six innings at an average of 49 but at a low striking rate of 110. He remains one of the key players, and a player of his class should get back in form soon.
Sanju Samson is amongst the most eye-pleasing batters in the world. The 27yr old batter has, for long, been criticised for his inconsistency, but he has worked on that aspect, becoming RR’s most reliable batter in the last two years.
Samson has 4417 runs in the T20 format, averaging 28 while striking at 130. He has smashed three centuries and 26 fifties. Samson has been outstanding this season as well, amassing 351 runs at a superb average of 50 and strike rate of 142. He was coming off an unbeaten 53-ball-70 in the last game against Delhi.
Mustafizur Rahman, often underrated, is amongst the best T20 pacers in the world. The left-arm pacer has the ability to nail yorkers and variations to succeed in this format. He has taken 207 wickets in 155 T20 matches while conceding at only 7.16, bowling mainly in the death overs.
The Fizz has two five-wicket and four four-wicket hauls. He has done an excellent job for RR in the absence of Jofra Archer, picking 10 scalps at 7.88 runs per over. Mustafizur was terrific in the last game against Delhi, where he returned with 2 for 22 from his four overs.
Prediction
There isn’t much to infer from the head to head record between these two teams as both have won seven games each in the IPL history. RR had hammered SRH by 55 runs earlier in the 2021 season.
Both the teams have their own issue, SRH more than others. Sunrisers are depleted with Jonny Bairstow’s loss, and David Warner’s form is a real concern. The rest of the batting unit has age-old issues too. While it can do well on slow and low decks, the bowling unit is heavily dependent on Rashid Khan.
Rajasthan Royals have lost their first-choice overseas players but have done well with respect to the replacements. Their bowling unit can be very effective on the UAE tracks, but the batting unit can be hit or miss. RR look a lot stronger team and will head into the game as favourites.
