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An early favorite for the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL), the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will kick off their campaign with a clash against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Sunday, April 2.
SRH will be without their South African trio of Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen, who are away on international duty. In Markram's absence, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will lead a talented Hyderabad side.
Who will take the field for the Sunrisers in their first game of the new season? Here is SRH's predicted playing XI for Match 4 of IPL 2023 against RR.
SRH vs RR: SRH Predicted Playing 11 vs RR in IPL 2023
The Sunrisers have quite a few combinations they could try out without Markram and Jansen. While the fourth overseas slot could go to a spinner, either Adil Rashid or Akeal Hosein, the middle order could see Glenn Phillips enter it and don the wicketkeeping gloves.
Hyderabad's opening partnership should be fairly settled. Mayank Agarwal and Abhishek Sharma could form an excellent pairing going forward but could be a touch vulnerable against swing and seam. Trent Boult will want to exploit that early on.
Intent machines Rahul Tripathi and Harry Brook could follow the duo, with Phillips slotting in at No. 5. The Kiwi batter hasn't been in great form lately and will want to give a good account of himself before Klaasen returns.
Hyderabad are in need of an extra batter, and they could have to choose between Anmolpreet Singh and Abdul Samad. Samad has been backed by the Orange Army through thick and thin, and could hence be given the chance first. Upendra Yadav could be selected if Phillips stays away from wicketkeeping duties, but that doesn't seem too likely.
SRH's first-choice pacers are likely to be Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, and Umran Malik. In Jansen's absence, they might need to use their impact player substitute on a fourth bowler, potentially Kartik Tyagi. That would keep Mayank Markande out of the substitute role, and the fourth overseas slot could go to a wrist-spinner in Rashid.
Washington Sundar, meanwhile, will bridge the gap between the batting and the bowling departments. He struggled with injuries last season and will want to get a sustained run of games in a stable role this time around.
Fazalhaq Farooqi is another player who could enter the playing XI as the fourth pacer if conditions favor seam. Without taking into account the result of the toss, though, that might not be a safe bet since Hyderabad have Tyagi in their ranks and wouldn't be able to avail Rashid's services.
SRH's predicted playing XI for Match 4 of IPL 2023: Mayank Agarwal, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Harry Brook, Glenn Phillips (wk), Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (c), T Natarajan, Umran Malik.
Note: Playing XIs are bound to vary majorly in IPL 2023, with the introduction of the impact player rule as well as captains having the chance to name their side after the result of the toss is known.
