3 player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs SRH, Match 22 of IPL 2024 ft. Travis Head vs Arshdeep Singh
The Punjab Kings (PBKS) will return to their new home ground - Maharaja Yadavindra International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur - to face the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Tuesday, April 9, after a string of away matches.
The Shikhar Dhawan-led side recently had an inspiring win over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad, courtesy of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma's heroics in a mammoth run chase. The team will be looking to build on that with yet another win in the mid-table clash.
SRH, meanwhile, have been a bit hot-and-cold this season so far but gained two crucial points with a win over the defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Hyderabad. The win comes across as a huge morale booster following their tame defeat to the Gujarat Titans (GT).
Both teams have won two matches out of four, but are yet to record consecutive wins. This time around, at least one of them will have a successive win as they have come off wins recently. Both sides will be on the lookout to gain some momentum heading into the middle phase of the campaign.
With intriguing squads on offer, several matchups could dictate the fate of the game. On that note, let us take a look at three player battles to watch out for in PBKS vs SRH in IPL 2024.
#1 Shikhar Dhawan vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Shikhar Dhawan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar shared the dressing room as part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for a long time, and the two veterans have had spirited battles since the former departed from the Orange Army.
Bhuvneshwar's ability to swing the ball both ways will be a challenge to Dhawan, who will not hold back to punish any sort of width with drives.
The form of both these players has been under the scanner. Dhawan's strike rate has been a constant debate like usual, while Bhuvneshwar was wicketless across his first three matches, before opening his account in SRH's win over CSK.
The pair have faced each other on numerous occasions and are well familiar with each other's game for quite a while now. Across 12 meetings against each other, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been able to keep things tight against his counterpart.
Dhawan has scored 78 runs in 74 deliveries off the right-arm pacer at a strike rate of 105.40 and has lost his wicket twice too.
#2 Travis Head vs Arshdeep Singh
The two players came up against recently in the latter half of the five-match T20I series between India and Australia after the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Across both matches, it was Travis Head who was dominant over the left-arm seamer, by dispatching his outswingers primarily through the off-side.
That dominance is reflected through numbers as well since Arshdeep Singh holds a strike rate of 192.85 after scoring 27 runs off 14 deliveries.
With both players in relatively good form, their battle at the start of the innings is bound to be enticing, and might even set the tone for the game.
Head will not shy away from his ultra-aggressive approach at the top while Arshdeep Singh is also bound to be all in for an early breakthrough.
#3 Heinrich Klaasen vs Harshal Patel
Heinrich Klaasen and Harshal Patel have had contrasting starts to the season. The wicketkeeper-batter is in contention for the Orange Cap on the back of his two fifties, while the right-arm pacer is struggling to settle into his new side.
Harshal Patel has conceded over 40 runs across all four matches so far while picking up four wickets as well. The death bowler will now be up against one of the best hitters in T20 cricket at present, and an uphill task is waiting for him.
In the past, these two players have come across each other on three occasions. Harshal has managed to dismiss Klaasen twice, while the wicketkeeper-batter has scored 37 runs off 28 deliveries at a strike rate of 132.14.