3 player battles to watch out for in SRH vs GT, Match 66 of IPL 2024 ft. Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Sai Sudharsan
SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) take on Gujarat Titans (GT) in the 66th match of IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Uppal, Hyderabad, on Thursday, May 16.
The home team stand a good chance of qualifying for the playoffs if they win this game whereas GT, despite having performed well this season, are out of the running for qualification.
SRH will want to pick up a win in their penultimate league game of the season, especially as it comes at home in front of their raucous supporters, who have stood with them through thick and thin.
This is GT's last league game of the season, and it will give them an added boost to do well and finish on a high, despite them being knocked out of the race for the playoffs.
In this listicle, we take a look at three key player battles to watch out for in this game:
#1 Pat Cummins vs Shubman Gill
One of the biggest head-to-head battles that we will see in this game will be the one between Pat Cummins and Shubman Gill.
Apart from them being the captains of their respective franchises, the aforementioned players are also two of the finest in their side.
Cummins, who brought in the slower ball bouncer revolution into the IPL this year, will be keen on testing it out at Uppal on Thursday against Gill, who is a destructive batter.
The GT skipper comes into this game on the back of a stellar century he scored against CSK in Ahmedabad and will be keen on adding to it by bagging another in Hyderabad, where he scored a double century against New Zealand in an ODI.
#2 Travis Head vs Umesh Yadav
SRH opener Travis Head, who has taken the ongoing IPL by storm, will be looking to tuck into GT's Umesh Yadav on Thursday.
The latter, who has played for India for an extended period of time, will be keen on teasing Head by not bowling to his strengths or giving him width of any sort.
The Aussie has showcased his skills by playing shots across the ground and provided bowlers across all teams with headaches of all sorts.
Yadav, however, is an experienced customer, and will know just exactly which lines and lengths will trouble Head.
It will be exciting to see the way the pacer comes up with tricks and tries to prevent the southpaw from scoring with utmost freedom.
#3 Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Sai Sudharsan
SRH seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been with the franchise the longest, has been economical with his spells in this edition of the IPL.
He will come up against GT's young Turk Sai Sudharsan on Thursday and it will be interesting to see the devices he uses to keep the latter in check.
Sudharsan scored a century in the last game that he played, against CSK in Ahmedabad, and will want to go out on a high in this one against SRH in Hyderabad.
This is the last game that GT will play this season, and the Tamil Nadu opener will want to make the most of it. Bhuvneshwar, however, is an expert at bowling in this format of the game, and will want to stick to his strengths.