IPL 2021, Match 20, SRH vs DC: Preview, probable XI, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast and pitch report
Sunrisers Hyderabad take on the Delhi Capitals in match 20 of Vivo IPL 2021 on Sunday, 25th April, at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. It'll be the second match of a doubleheader, with CSK and RCB locking horns in the afternoon game. It will also be the final game of the season to be played at Chepauk, with the wicket having churned out plenty of low-scoring matches so far.
Both teams come into this game on the back of wins. SRH trounced PBKS comfortably to register their first win of the campaign on Wednesday. DC, meanwhile, got past their MI jinx and beat the defending champions by six wickets on Tuesday.
SRH had performed well with the ball in their previous games but haven't quite managed to maintain their composure with the bat. The introduction of Kane Williamson into the playing XI instantly shored up their batting order, although their bowling won them the game. Khaleel Ahmed, Abhishek Sharma and Rashid Khan all bowled brilliantly to contain PBKS to an easily gettable total of 120.
Jonny Bairstow's well-paced half-century, aided by some sensible batting from Warner and Williamson, saw SRH cruise to victory. However, they were struck by injuries during the triumph, with T Natarajan set to miss the entire season with a knee problem. Bhuvneshwar Kumar also hobbled off with a thigh strain that SRH will hope is nothing serious.
DC, meanwhile, juggled their pack to field a more balanced playing XI against the Mumbai Indians. Amit Mishra and Shimron Hetmyer returned to the side, and the former ran through MI's powerful middle-order. He accounted for the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, and Kieron Pollard. Aided by some disciplined bowling from Lalit Yadav and Avesh Khan, DC restricted MI to 137/9.
Despite losing Prithvi Shaw early, Shikhar Dhawan and Steve Smith negotiated MI's bowlers well before the latter fell leg-before to Kieron Pollard. Contributions from Lalit Yadav and Shimron Hetmyer saw DC home, though it could have been tighter had Bumrah not bowled two no-balls in the penultimate over.
Both teams will look to get a win in this game before moving to their next venues. Expect a low-scoring thriller once more.
IPL 2021: SRH vs. DC Match Details
Date: 25th April 2021 (Sunday).
Time: 7:30 PM IST.
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Weather Forecast
It should be a clear and sunny evening in Chennai with an average temperature of around 29 degrees celsius. Dew should play a role in the second innings.
Pitch Report
The wickets at Chennai haven't been kind to the batters, and given the amount of cricket that's been played at the venue recently, it should remain the same. Expect a low-scoring game with a lot of spin on a sticky and sluggish surface.
Predicted XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad
SRH may be forced to make a change if Bhuvneshwar Kumar doesn't recover in time. Sandeep Sharma should replace him in the playing XI. Manish Pandey could get a recall into the XI, although Virat Singh should receive another opportunity. They could also opt to play an extra spinner by bringing in Shahbaz Nadeem for Siddharth Kaul.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Jonny Bairstow (WK), David Warner (C), Virat Singh/ Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, and Shahbaz Nadeem/ Siddharth Kaul.
Delhi Capitals
The Capitals should name an unchanged lineup for the clash against SRH. Kagiso Rabada will look to improve, having conceded a lot of runs in the three games he's played.
Delhi Capitals: Prithvi Shaw, Shikhar Dhawan, Steve Smith, Rishabh Pant (C/WK), Marcus Stoinis, Shimron Hetmyer, Lalit Yadav, Ravichandran Ashwin, Amit Mishra, Kagiso Rabada, and Avesh Khan.
IPL 2021: SRH vs. DC Match Prediction
While DC come into this game in pretty good form, SRH's better knowledge of the slow Chennai conditions should give them an edge. Though the game should be neck and neck, the X-Factor that someone like Rashid Khan provides should see SRH get their second win of the campaign.
Prediction: Sunrisers Hyderabad to win.
IPL 2021: SRH vs. DC TV and Live Streaming Details
TV: Star Sports Network.
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP.