🏏IPL 2024: Qualifier 2- RR vs SRH at M A C S,Chennai @ 7:30PM IST🏏

🏏IPL 2024: Qualifier 2- RR vs SRH at MA C S, Chennai @ 7:30 PM IST🏏

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today, May 24.

Sunrisers squandered their first opportunity to reach the finals as they comprehensively lost to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Qualifier 1.

The former two-time champions chased down a 160-run target with eight wickets and 38 balls to spare. Pat Cummins and Co. will get a second bite at the cherry today and would want to make it count.

Rajasthan Royals finally won their first match this month, as they defeated an in-form Royal Challengers Bengaluru side in the Eliminator.

Sanju Samson's men chased down a 173-run target with four wickets and an over to spare.

These two sides met each other on one occasion during the league stage. The Sunrisers pulled off a thrilling one-run win at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, defending a target of 202.

Rajasthan would love to exact revenge at this all-important juncture of the league.

In wins, SRH had the best strike rate - 189.51. But most of their defeats were equally sapping.

SRH either flies or crashes and burns - there has been no middle ground or ability to limit damages so far, which should pique the interest of Rajasthan Royals.

Sanju Samson's side arrival in Chennai has made a mockery of the notion of 'momentum', proving once again why knockouts always start with a blank slate.

A four-game rut was wiped out in one evening against RCB, hurling them in the path of the tournament's pace-setters. Cummins was quick to shrug off the defeat to KKR in Q1, but it showed SRH was equally capable of being humbled as they were of inflicting that feeling on the opposition.

RR, with their recent clinicality, will hope to tap into that.

[Tag Credit: Sutapasima]

Chepauk Stadium Pitch Report:

The surface at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has produced contrasting pitches this season. In some games, teams have been greeted with the traditionally slow and low Chepauk surfaces. However, there have also been some high-scoring encounters. One match that stands out is the one between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 23. The hosts scored 210/4 in their 20 overs before Lucknow bettered it with six wickets and three balls to spare. Sunrisers will be the happier team if the pitch turns out to be the flatter side today.

What to expect: It's a question even CSK have grappled with as conditions have trumped them too in home games. Friday's fixture will be played on pitch #7 - a fresh wicket. It brings with it unfamiliarity and an extremely short square boundary on one side.

Head to head: SRH 10 - 9 RR. The one game between these two sides this season ended in a final-ball thriller in favour of SRH.

SRH vs RR Probable Playing XIs

Sunrisers Hyderabad:

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, T Natarajan

Impact Player: Aiden Markram

Rajasthan Royals:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Player: Sandeep Sharma

SRH vs RR Probable Best Players of the Match

Probable Best Batter: Travis Head

The star Australian batter has failed to open his account in the last two games. However, that would not worry him too much, as he has been in splendid form during the season. In 13 matches, he has amassed 533 runs at an average of 44.42 and a strike rate of 199.63. If Head fires at the top alongside the dangerous Abhishek Sharma, Rajasthan bowlers will be in for a tough time.

Probable Best Bowler: T Natarajan

The left-arm seamer has been bowling with supreme confidence this season. He has picked up 18 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 23.50 and a strike rate of 15.44. Natarajan has bagged wickets inside the powerplay as well as in the death overs. His spell will be very crucial for Sunrisers in the knockout fixture.

Team Watch:

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Injury/Availability: SRH has a clean bill of health.

Tactics & Match-ups: A left-armer bowling at the stumps to Travis Head has worked twice in two games now. That and Trent Boult's propensity to strike in the first over should give RR a jump-start, but the Australian has a good record against the pacer in the format - 52 runs in 30 balls without being dismissed. He has been dismissed thrice by left-armers but has also scored at 206.25 against them.

Rajasthan Royals

Injury/Availability: "I'm not a 100% [fit] actually. There is a bug in the dressing room, lots of coughs and a lot of people are a bit unwell," Sanju Samson revealed after RR"s win over RCB in the Eliminator. However, there are no reported absentees for the big game on Friday.

Tactics & Match-ups: RR still has two other PowerPlay bowlers capable of troubling the SRH opener. Sandeep Sharma has conceded 15 off 15, getting him out once and Avesh Khan, who cleaned him up earlier this season, has given 15 off 8 deliveries. Boult meanwhile, has had Abhishek Sharma's number in IPL - conceding just 13 in 21 balls and getting him out once. Rahul Tripathi, who successfully got SRH a move on in the previous fixture, has struggled against Boult and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Did You Know:

- Abhishek Sharma has scored at 206.9 in the PowerPlay, hit spin at 235.37 and taken on left-arm pace at 221.30.

- SRH have won 1 and lost 9 in 10 games in Chepauk. RR have 2 wins in 9 at the venue. In IPL qualifiers in all the seasons, SRH have won 5 and lost 7.

- Sanju Samson has been prolific against both spin and pace this season. Against left-arm quicks, he has scored at 173.9. That strike rate goes up to 179 against spin, while his middle-overs numbers have also been incredible - 278 runs at a strike rate of 148.7.

What they said:

"What cricket and life has taught us is we will have some good and some really bad phases. But we need to have the character to bounce back.

Really happy with the way we fielded, batted and bowled [against RCB in the Eliminator]." - Sanju Samson.

"We will try to put this behind quickly, good thing we will have a crack at it (second qualifier). You have those days in T20 cricket where things don't quite work out.

We weren't where we wanted with the bat and obviously couldn't do much with the ball." - Pat Cummins after the big defeat to KKR in Qualifier 1.

Today’s Match Prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the match

Scenario 1

Sunrisers Hyderabad win the toss and bowl

Power Play score – 50-60

First Innings Score - 170-180

Sunrisers Hyderabad win the match

Scenario 2

Rajasthan Royals win the toss and bowl

Power Play score - 60-70

First Innings Score - 190-200

Sunrisers Hyderabad win the match

Disclaimer: The prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.

The journey so far:

Rajasthan Royals produced some exceptional performances in the first half of the IPL, but lost their way in the later stages of the tournament, losing 4 of their last 5 matches, with the last one washed out due to rain. However, the RR XI looked back in form for Wednesday's eliminator against RCB, where they handed the Faf Du Plessis-led franchise a comprehensive defeat to secure a place in the qualifiers.

Sunrisers Hyderabad had a somewhat inconsistent start to the IPL 2024, but the Pat Cummins-led franchise managed to stage a comeback in the tournament by winning 6 of their last 7 matches to end the season with 17 points and a net run rate of +0.414. SRH had suffered a crushing 8-wicket defeat at the hands of Kolkata Knight Riders in their last outing and will be looking to bounce back in the second qualifier.

Both teams enter the match with contrasting fortunes: SRH coming off a loss in Qualifier 1 and RR rejuvenated after ending a losing streak. However, their previous encounters in Chennai haven't been fruitful.

The Chepauk pitch's slow nature may prompt RR to consider additional spin options, while SRH might shuffle their batting lineup for stability.

Key players to watch include R Ashwin, finding form with the ball for RR, and Travis Head, SRH's top performer despite recent setbacks. Stats reveal intriguing matchups, like Ashwin's containment of Head and Klaasen's dominance over Yuzvendra Chahal.

Klaasen vs. Chahal Showdown

Heinrich Klaasen’s commanding record against Yuzvendra Chahal, scoring 108 runs off 46 balls, could be a decisive factor in SRH’s middle-order resilience.