SRH vs PBKS, IPL 2023: 3 player battles to watch out for

Sunrisers Hyderabad will battle it out against the Punjab Kings in the second game of tonight's IPL 2023 doubleheader. The Orange Army are currently at the bottom of the points table with zero points after two matches. They will be keen to open their account with a victory over the Kings tonight.

Meanwhile, Punjab Kings are undefeated in IPL 2023 so far. Playing under the captaincy of Shikhar Dhawan, the Mohali-based franchise have recorded wins against the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Rajasthan Royals so far in the competition.

PBKS will be keen to continue their winning momentum and complete a hat-trick of wins tonight at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium.

Ahead of the match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings, here are three player battles to watch out for.

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#1 Shikhar Dhawan vs. Umran Malik

Shikhar Dhawan will be up against his former franchise in IPL 2023 tonight (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Shikhar Dhawan has been in top form for the Punjab Kings this season. The new captain of the Mohali-based franchise played a match-winning knock of 86 runs for PBKS against the Rajasthan Royals in their last match. Dhawan opened the batting and remained in the middle until the end of the innings.

Dhawan will aim to play another match-winning knock for the Punjab Kings, while Sunrisers Hyderabad will hope that one of their pace bowlers dismisses the PBKS captain early on.

Umran Malik possesses express pace and is capable of troubling Dhawan tonight at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium. It will be interesting to follow the battle between the 'Jammu Express' and the Punjab Kings captain tonight.

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#2 Harpreet Brar vs. Abhishek Sharma

Harpreet Brar won the Man of the Match in the last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Sunrisers Hyderabad and the Punjab Kings met in the last league stage match of IPL 2022. Harpreet Brar stole the show in that game by taking three wickets for his team. The Kings will expect another top performance from their left-arm spinner in tonight's game.

Sunrisers Hyderabad, meanwhile, will hope that their left-handed opener Abhishek Sharma can fire on all cylinders. Sharma scored 43 runs off 32 balls in the last game against PBKS before Brar dismissed him. It will be exciting to see who wins the battle between the two uncapped stars tonight.

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#3 Nathan Ellis vs. Harry Brook

Can Harry Brook play a big knock in tonight's match? (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Sunrisers Hyderabad spent ₹13.25 crore to acquire the services of Harry Brook at the IPL 2023 Auction. The England batter has performed well in other T20 leagues but is yet to get going in the IPL. Brook will be desperate to play a big knock tonight for SRH.

Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis will try to ensure that Brook does not score too many. Ellis bagged a four-wicket haul and won the Man of the Match award against RR. All eyes will be on the battle between Ellis and Brook tonight in IPL 2023.