IPL 2017: Rising Pune Supergiant vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 5 factors of winning

Strategy

Tahir could be a useful weapon against Warner and co.

Pune know that Hyderabad expect the bulk of their scoring to come from Warner, Williamson or Yuvraj. While Dhawan's return to form is also worrying for the hosts, Warner is the man they will target to get early. The southpaw has struggled against well-directed balls on the chest in the recent past and this is an area Pune could target.

Ben Stokes can possibly open the attack. Tahir is also a feasible option to open the attack to surprise Warner. His googlies could be a big weapon against the Aussie. Stokes and Thakur will also be tasked with the responsibility of containing Dhawan and Yuvraj with well-directed bouncers. The left-handed duo have both shown weakness against the short ball in the past.

Sunrisers will have two basic agendas to stop Pune at home - stop Rahane and Smith from playing the anchor role and restrict the big hitting of Stokes and Dhoni. While Rashid Khan could be a mighty big weapon against Smith and Stokes, Rahane will be a huge threat if he gets going.

The Hyderabad-based franchise will rely on Siraj or Kaul to get a wicket or two in the middle overs. Henriques with his pace variations could also be useful against the big-hitting Stokes. Dhoni has looked rusty with the bat this IPL but champion players have a habit of returning to form at the right time. Rashid Khan is an unknown commodity and could be a potent weapon against Dhoni.