🏏IPL 2024: Match 66 - SRH vs GT at Hyderabad,7:30 PM IST🏏

🏏IPL 2024: Match 66 - SRH vs GT at Hyderabad, 7:30 PM IST🏏

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The Indian Premier League 2024 is in the final week of the league stage with just five matches remaining and five teams in contention for the two playoff spots. 

One of the strongest contenders of the playoffs, SRH will be eyeing to advance to the next stage as they take on GT in Match 66 today, May 16 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Hyderabad has easily been the most exciting team of the season so far known for their merciless thrashing of the opposition. 

They’re coming into the game after handing a nightmarish loss to LSG by ten wickets chasing down 166 in just 9.4 overs.

The Pat Cummins-led side has made a habit of surpassing the 250-run mark having breached the landmark thrice this season. 

Ranked in the fourth spot on the points table with seven wins from 12 games and having 14 points to their name, SRH needs just one more win to seal their berth in the playoffs.

 However, they will be eyeing to win both of their remaining games to finish in the top two spots to have an extra chance of making it to the finals of the tournament.

On the other hand, last season’s runner-ups GT will have the first season where they won’t be playing in the final of the IPL. 

The Shubman Gill-led side was knocked out of the tournament after a washout against KKR in their last fixture. 

They’re ranked in the eighth spot on the points table with five wins from 13 games having 11 points to their name and will be eager to finish the season on a high with a win.

[Tag Credit: Sutapasima]

SRH vs GT: Head to Head

GT has an upper hand over SRH in head-to-head encounters having beaten them thrice out of the four matches played between the two teams. The 2022 champions have won the last three fixtures on a trot against SRH which includes a seven-wicket win earlier in the season.

SRH vs GT: Team News

There are no injury concerns in the SRH camp with all the players being available for selection. In the GT camp, opening wicketkeeper batter Wriddhiman Saha missed the last game due to a niggle and is likely to be available for the upcoming game.

SRH Predicted XI

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sanvir Singh, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth

Impact sub: T Natarajan

GT Predicted XI

Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Matthew Wade (wk), Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Kartik Tyagi

Impact sub: Sandeep Warrier

SRH vs GT: Hyderabad Pitch Report

Hyderabad has been another batting friendly surface of the season where the hosts’ batters have made merry in the every opportunity they’ve got. In the five matches played in the season so far, three games have been won by teams batting first at the venue. The average first innings score has been 202 while the highest target chased has been 166. 

What to expect: It was at this venue that SRH decimated LSG by 10 wickets, having set the tone for their journey here with a total of 277 against MI back in March. They have four wins out of five at home this season, with their only loss coming against Royal Challengers Bengaluru when they couldn't chase down a target of 207, with the combination of change of pace and spin working well for the visiting side on a slow surface.

A seven-day break in a busy schedule like the IPL is a luxury for teams, and Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of only two sides to enjoy that in this edition. 

"Yeah, it is a bonus to have a week's break in an IPL tournament; I've been involved with SRH for just over a decade now and I think there's never been a break like that before," says Sunrisers' assistant coach Simon Helmot. 

"It's nice to refresh...nice to have the time to catch up with friends and family."

The last time they took the field was on May 8 when openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma put on a brutal display of batting, getting to 167/0 in just 9.4 overs to race to victory against Lucknow Super Giants which gave their net run rate a mighty boost. 

That victory eliminated Mumbai Indians from the playoffs race and during SRH's break, two more teams joined MI. Meanwhile, KKR and RR qualified and the former also cemented a spot in the top-two. SRH too have a shot at featuring in Qualifier 1, for which they need to win the next two matches and hope that Rajasthan Royals drop one, which will bring NRR into play.

Can SRH get back to their aggressive best after the seven-day non-action? "I don't think it changes momentum," insists Helmot. We've had some five-day breaks throughout the tournament, we're used to having breaks, so I don't think that'll change anyway in which we prepare."

And speaking about aggression, such has been SRH's blaze in this edition that Hyderabad has seen sell-out crowds, which wasn't the case in the past seasons. "We remember the first years here at SRH when we were developing a fan base. 

There may have been some space in the crowd, there may have even been times when there was some support for the opposition as well. But hasn't that changed?...I'll say this year has been the most vocal, the nosiest, and the most supporting crowd that I can ever remember," says Helmot, who calls the crowd their "13th impact player". And SRH will be eager to reciprocate that support with another victory which will confirm a berth for them in the playoffs.

Gujarat Titans, who just got knocked out from the playoffs race after rain played spoilsport in Ahmedabad. In what has been a lackluster season for them, the Shubman Gill-led side will be hoping to sign off on a positive note and in the process disrupt the aspirations of the home side. Before the abandoned game, the Titans posted 231 against Chennai Super Kings, riding on Gill and Sai Sudharsan's hundreds to register their second-highest total in the IPL. 

They need their batters to deliver again but, more than that, they need the bowlers to be on the mark going up against the bulldozing SRH batters who don't show the opposition any mercy.

After being expensive in his earlier outings, Mohit Sharma redeemed himself with a match-winning 3 for 31 against CSK. The Titans will be hoping for more of that from him and also count on former SRH player Rashid Khan's experience in these climes. 

The Titans have also struggled with their middle order, using as many as 11 players from Nos. 4 to 7 this season for only two fifty-plus scores this season, and the lowest average among all teams. Although late, they'll be keen to make amends and end their campaign with some consolation.

Teams watch

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Injury/Availability: Sunrisers do not have any fitness concerns in their setup

Tactics & Matchups: Bhuvneshwar Kumar has dismissed Gill three times in 56 deliveries and has conceded only 57 runs, which makes him a favourable matchup for SRH up against the GT skipper. Gill has also been dismissed four times by right-arm legspin in this IPL, which makes Vijayakanth Viyaskanth a good option against him. T Natarajan is a useful option against left-handers, having bagged seven southpaw wickets (at a strike rate of 12 an economy of 8.79) out of his tally of 15 this season.

Gujarat Titans

Injury/Availability: Wriddhiman Saha had a niggle which kept him out of the game against CSK, with GT bringing in Matthew Wade and handing Kartik Tyagi a GT debut. They could look at sticking to this combination considering Saha, even if he has recovered, hasn't been in the best of form with the bat.

Tactics & Matchups: In his last five matches, Heinrich Klaasen has been dismissed by spinners three times while Travis Head has been dismissed by spin five times, bringing Rashid and Noor Ahmad into the picture.

Did you know?

- Out of the 583 runs he has scored in this season so far, Travis Head has got 385 runs (66.03%) in the powerplay alone. He averages 128.33 in this phase with a strike rate of 220. His opening partner Abhishek Sharma has scored 285 (71.07%) of his tally of 401 runs in the powerplay, at a strike rate of 205.04

- Sunrisers have struck the most maximums in this IPL, scoring 146 sixes, while their 171 fours is the least among all teams in this edition. Abhishek Sharma tops the sixes chart (35) and along with Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen, they have struck 97 sixes combined

What they said

"It was a little bit challenging the first time we played against Gujarat on their wicket. Again, it's just to remind ourselves not every wicket is going to be 200-plus. We need to assess in real time how it's going and communicate with each other, and remember that we're working in a partnership. 

That has been the learning we got after that game. We've been 11 games on since then (nine), we just need to make sure to maintain our strategy and execute as best we can" - Simon Helmot, SRH assistant coach, reflects on the loss to GT earlier in the competition.

"It's never easy. Some of our key players got injured before the season, and in the season as well we've had some injuries. 

It's not easy for the players coming in to be able to perform straightaway. But apart from that I think it was just a matter of one match, here and there. The match against Delhi which we lost by one run, a match like that could go either way. 

I think in the first couple of years a lot of matches like that went in our favour. At the end of the day the margin is very close, so it's hard to identify or pinpoint a moment or a particular area. But I think collectively as a fielding unit we let ourselves down in some of the key moments" - Shubman Gill, GT captain, sums up the season.