Today's IPL Match, Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rising Pune Supergiants Match Preview: Pitch Report & Weather Forecast of SRH vs RPS, Match 22

Well, who could have predicted that the side being captained by MS Dhoni would lose 5 games in a row? To give some credit to the Supergiants, they have been mostly been close matches. Losing to the Kolkata Knight Riders in a tense finish, the Supergiants fought their way into the match with MSD’s blistering 23 of just 12 deliveries. The players showed determination on the pitch as they run out the in-form Kolkata skipper Gautham Gambhir. The bowlers also picked up crucial wickets in the mid overs. The Pune-based franchise could have had 3 victories to their name by now had they held their nerve in their previous 2 matches of the IPL 2016.

The Sunrisers have been on a high after winning their third match in a succession. David Warner has been phenomenal for the Sunrisers and is the leading run-scorer for his team. The Sunrisers have been playing with discipline in all departments which helped them to get into the top 4 for the moment.

The pitch at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium has been good for the batters this season with teams chasing targets close to 145 with ease. But with temperatures rising, this dry pitch might just offer the spinners some turn.

Match Date and Time: 26 April 2016, 2000 hrs ISTMatch Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Weather:

Temperature: Max 35°c, Min 29°cHumidity: Max 34%Wind: 20 km per hour

Pitch Report: Par-score 160. Seamers will have to bowl with variations to make it hard for the batsmen.

In-Depth Analysis:

The Sunrisers Hyderabad did not look like they would have enough to enter the top 4 initially with only David Warner staying at the crease and scoring half the runs for his side. After losing their first 2 games, they have had a rapid shift in momentum. To begin with, their bowling has been sensational.

The Bangladeshi International, Mustafizur Rahman has been unplayable at times. Mixing it up nicely with his slower off-cutters and the yorkers, he has been the key in the bowling department for the Sunrisers.

Shikhar Dhawan has supported David Warner extremely well at the top of the order. They have put together 137 and 90 for the first wicket in the last two games. Though there were a few hiccups at the end of their chase where they lost 3 wickets in a short period of time the game was already in the bag. The middle order batsmen have to take responsibility and be the backbone for the team.

The Australian all-rounder, Moises Henriques has come good for the Sunrisers in the previous 2 matches. He has been effective with his pace bowling and even picked up a couple of important wickets in the mid overs. He will have to continue his good form throughout this tournament if the Sunrisers are seriously aiming for the top four.

The Rising Pune Supergiants have not completely let down their fans. They have been performing with good spirits and it will be just a matter of time for them to get back to winning ways.

Openers Ajinkya Rahane and Faf Du Plessis have been in good form with the bat, the only problem is that they have not been performing at the same time. This is affecting the Supergiants as they are not able to set a good platform for someone like Steve Smith or Thisara Perera to come and play their natural game.

The Aussie captain Steve Smith has been getting out under bizarre circumstances. Getting run-out in two back to back matches is not common and hopefully, for the Supergiants, there won’t be a third time as the Australian can do some serious damage to the oppositions with his stroke-play. He will be the difference between the Supergiants finishing with a 140 and 180.

Captain cool MSD has whacked the bowlers around the park in the past few matches of the IPL. With his explosive range of shots, even a good delivery gets dispatched to the boundary in no time. Word has to be put for the immensely useful all-rounder Rajat Bhatia. The Delhi-born player has been the pick of the bowlers for the Supergiants with an economy rate of just 5.78 runs per over and picking up 4 wickets in 4 innings.

All in all, this should be a good entertainer for the spectators as the Pune Supergiants head to the home ground of the Sunrisers Hyderabad.