What

Match 11 of Pepsi IPL 2015 will feature Sunrisers Hyderabad pitted against table-toppers Rajasthan Royals.

After losing their season opener against the Chennai Super Kings, SRH bounced back strongly to outclass the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their own backyard. Back in familiar conditions at home, where the team had a pre-season camp and spent time getting acclimatized to the coastal conditions, SRH will be keen to build on that victory and make it a habit.

Despite not having the services of their regular captain Shane Watson, the Rajasthan Royals have performed admirably, discovering a new match-winner every time they have taken the field. If it was James Faulkner in the first match, the teenager Deepak Hooda stepped up in the match against the Delhi Daredevils. Most recently, stand-in-skipper and man-in-form Steve Smith joined the party, leading his team to a comfortable victory over the Mumbai Indians. That is just how RR operate; they do not boast of too many big stars, or rely on one or two cricketers, but instead unearth gems each time they are out on the park.

When

16 April 2015, 8p.m. IST

Where

ACA-VDCA Stadium, Visakhapatnam

The Protagonists

For SRH to be competitive, they will need one of the two openers – skipper David Warner or Shikhar Dhawan – to bat for as long as possible. Not only are they capable of winning matches single-handedly, but by virtue of being left-hand batsmen they pose plenty of problems to bowlers in the opposition ranks.

Given the kind of form he is riding on, there is no reason to look beyond Steve Smith in the RR lineup. Six of Smith’s last eight innings have been scores of 50 or more. The youngster Deepak Hooda has been impressive in the three matches he has played so far, and the teenager will be keen to keen to further enhance the reputation he has established.

Contests to look-forward to

Two players who were immensely successful in the recently concluded World Cup – New Zealand’s Trent Boult and Australia’s Steve Smith – will come face to face yet again. The Kiwi fast bowler – now playing for SRH in Pepsi IPL 2015 – kept the Aussie batsman quiet in the World Cup Final. Smith, now sporting the RR jersey, already in sensational form, has the confidence of a match-winning half-century behind him, and will be looking to dominate SRH’s strike bowler. That contest certainly makes for an interesting duel.

Previous Meetings

The Rajasthan Royals have a 3-2 win-loss record against Sunrisers Hyderabad. In the two most-recent meetings between the teams, the honours are shared evenly – with both teams winning one match apiece.

Trivia

The Rajasthan Royals have posted the most 50-plus partnerships in Pepsi IPL 2015 – 4. The Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians are next best – with three partnerships of 50 or more.

Sunrisers Hyderabad are only one of two teams to score at a rate of 9 runs an over in Pepsi IPL 2015 – the other being the Kolkata Knight Riders. SRH have scored at 9.01 runs per over in their two matches so far.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost the fewest wickets in Pepsi IPL 2015; in their two matches, they have lost only 8 wickets.

What Next

Sunrisers Hyderabad will be pitted against the Delhi Daredevils, who visit Visakhapatnam on Saturday, April 18. The Rajasthan Royals meanwhile head back to Ahmedabad to host MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings on April 19.