SRH vs RR Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 match?
As explosive as the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) have been, breaking records and smashing sixes, there have been a few performances where they just came apart. Qualifier 1 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) was one such display.
After Mitchell Starc got Travis Head early, Hyderabad never recovered despite a good knock from Rahul Tripathi. They lost a flurry of wickets in the powerplay and had to rely on Pat Cummins to take them to a total that wasn't defendable after the dew set in.
Unfortunately for SRH, they will go to another venue where dew has had a role to play in IPL 2024, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Fortunately for them, though, they will be up against a team that hasn't been at its best over the last three wickets - the Rajasthan Royals (RR).
RR did get past the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Eliminator, but it wasn't a convincing display at all. It was clear why they finished the league stage on a winless skid as the batting unit nearly made a meal of a straightforward chase.
Moreover, the Royals failed to get over the line against the SunRisers in the group stage, with Rovman Powell missing a full toss from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. That loss, which signified the start of their poor run of form, could serve as a precursor to one that knocks them out of the tournament if they don't turn up as the best versions of themselves.
Which team can set up a date against Kolkata in the IPL 2024 final?
IPL 2024, SRH vs RR Win Probability: Hyderabad bank on batters once again
RR have one of the best bowling units of IPL 2024, but they could be up against it on Friday. SRH have so much power and talent in their ranks that they are unlikely to fail many games in succession. They are likely to bring in either Glenn Phillips or Aiden Markram to bolster their batting stocks, giving their hitters a bit of extra cushion.
R Ashwin has come into his own in the second half of the tournament, but Yuzvendra Chahal has been far from his best. Key Royals bowlers, including Chahal and Trent Boult, have negative matchups against the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Heinrich Klaasen.
If powerplay swing isn't a major factor in Chennai, can Boult and Sandeep Sharma keep the SRH batters in check? It's hard to say. The Orange Army play such a high-variance brand of cricket that anything can happen on any day, irrespective of the conditions and the opposition.
The decisive factor could be RR's poor displays with the bat of late. Yashasvi Jaiswal still hasn't hit his straps, and Tom Kohler-Cadmore inspires virtually no confidence at the top of the order. If Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag don't come up with meaningful contributions, the lower order might have too much to do.
The toss will play a major role, with the chasing team having a significant advantage. Taking it out of the equation, SRH might be the marginal favorites.
Prediction: SRH to win Qualifier 2 of IPL 2024.