SRH vs KXIP Match Prediction: Who will win the battle between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2016, Match 18

David Warner has been in brilliant form

Sunrisers Hyderabad takes on a beleaguered Kings XI Punjab at home in the second game scheduled for the Super Saturday. The Sunrisers have started producing results lately whereas the Kings have been consistently inconsistent.

Their win against Pune proved to be an aberration after they went down to the Knight Riders in their last game. The Sunrisers will be over the moon after they decimated the table toppers Gujarat Lions by 10 wickets.

The head to head record suggests that the Sunrisers have beaten the Kings four out of the six times they have met.

The pitch at Hyderabad should be decent enough for batting. It could be sluggish at times and that should favour the home team who have bowlers capable of taking the pace off the ball consistently.

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International  stadium, Hyderabad

Match date: April 23, 2016

Match timings: 2000 hrs IST

If Sunrisers Hyderabad bats first

Predicted score: 165 and above

The Sunrisers shouldn't tinker with their playing 11 at all. David Warner has been at his dominant best in this IPL.  The good news for Hyderabad though would be Shikhar Dhawan's return to form. Henriques, Hooda, and Ojha have to play a larger role if and when they get an opportunity.

English skipper Eoin Morgan has played some important knocks in this tournament. Somewhere around 165 should be a good score for the Sunrisers.

The bowling looks better with every passing game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar had an excellent game against Gujarat picking up 4 wickets. He would look to continue his run of form with young Mustafizur giving him company.

Mustafizur has been a threat throughout this tournament and the opposition batsmen have failed to pick his variations. The likes of Deepak Hooda and Bipul Sharma would be looking to run through their overs without conceding too many.

There will be expectations from Barinder Sran too after the youngster has managed to do a decent job coming in place of the injured Ashish Nehra. If the bowlers can pick up three early wickets and give away just 50 runs in the bargain then it could be too much of an ask for Punjab to chase anything over 165.

If Kings XI Punjab bats first

Predicted score: 150 and above

The openers have to do it for the Kings if they want to pose a challenge at Hyderabad. A steady start of around 50/0 will be a good way to settle the nerves of the struggling batting line-up. Murali Vijay and Manan Vohra are extremely competent and fine batsmen and they would love to bring their A-game to the table.

Shaun Marsh has found some form and his contribution at no. 3 will be crucial. A lot was expected from Miller and Maxwell, but both have disappointed their fans so far. The shot selection has been a problem and head coach Sanjay Bangar will have to sort things out with his boys before it’s too late.

The bowling has had its share of problems too. Sandeep Sharma has failed to maintain good lines and lengths with the ball. Kyle Abbott and Mohit Sharma would like to do more since they are the experienced campaigners in their team.

Axar Patel too has been average with both the ball and the bat. Pradeep Sahu, though, has been the bright spot for them, churning out economical spells with his brilliant leg spin. He seems to have a bright future for the Kings.

The key here for Punjab will be to dismiss Warner as soon as possible. If they can get Warner, it will be a massive blow to Hyderabad’s confidence as the rest of their batting looks tentative.

Probable winners: Sunrisers Hyderabad