"It seems like there is a full IPL team on one side and a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy team on the other" - Aakash Chopra on SRH's IPL 2024 clash vs PBKS

Ahead of the SunRisers Hyderabad's (SRH) IPL 2024 clash against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), Aakash Chopra has noted that it's not a contest between evenly matched sides. The two teams will face off in Hyderabad in the first game on Sunday, May 19.

While PBKS are eliminated from the playoff race, SRH are third on the points table. A win for Pat Cummins and company will help them jump into second position. A Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win in the day's second game against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will assure the Hyderabad-based franchise a berth in Qualifier 1 in such a scenario.

Previewing the game in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that the Punjab Kings will be fielding a considerably weakened side on paper.

"This match is now not between the equals. When you used to see Punjab earlier, they had (Jonny) Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Rilee Rossouw, Sam Curran and Kagiso Rabada. Nathan Ellis will still be there. However, a lot of them have left. Kagiso Rabada, Bairstow, Liam Livingstone and Sam Curran are not there. The last game's Player of the Match is not there," he explained (9:35).

"So who is left? How will they be able to field four foreigners? They won't be able to do so. You will see Nathan Ellis, and Rilee Rossouw at the top, and all the rest will be Indians. Shikhar Dhawan's availability is also unknown. The batting is looking slightly unreliable. It seems like there is a full IPL team on one side and a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy team on the other," the former India opener added.

Shikhar Dhawan is unlikely to be available for PBKS' clash against SRH. The visitors have already named Jitesh Sharma as their skipper for their final game of the season.

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"I expect them to look to bulldoze the opposition even more" - Aakash Chopra on SRH

SRH have a destructive batting lineup. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra noted that the SunRisers Hyderabad will want to give themselves a chance of finishing in the second position by virtually bulldozing the Punjab Kings.

"Hyderabad, on the other hand, the last match got washed out. They got a point and qualified. They will want to reach 17 points as they would also be feeling that RR will lose and they can finish at No. 2. I expect them to look to bulldoze the opposition even more," he said (10:35).

The cricketer-turned-commentator concluded by predicting an SRH win in Sunday's first game.

"If KKR have looked the best team, Hyderabad have looked the most entertaining team. Their bowling might not have been consistently as good as KKR, but the batting has a lot of might. Hyderabad will win. I mean Hyderabad should win this match and reach 17 points," Chopra observed.

A win for the hosts will take them a point ahead of the Rajasthan Royals. If they happen to do so, the IPL 2016 champions will make it through to Qualifier 1 even if the KKR-RR game doesn't yield a result as they have a better net run rate than Sanju Samson's side.