As Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) prepare to face Punjab Kings (PBKS), the two sides head into the contest on vastly different trajectories. PBKS have won three of their four matches, riding high on explosive batting performances, while SRH have slumped to four consecutive defeats and are desperate to halt their slide.
PBKS have emerged as one of the most dynamic batting units this season, trailing only Lucknow Super Giants in scoring rate. Their top-order has fired consistently, with a different match-winner emerging in each victory. Priyansh Arya has taken the tournament by storm, supported by impactful cameos from Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen. Remarkably, they’ve achieved all this without much contribution from stars like Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell.
In stark contrast, SRH are struggling to find their rhythm. Their top three—Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan—have fizzled out after bright starts. Their ultra-aggressive batting approach is under scrutiny, especially as the bowling unit continues to underperform. SRH currently have the worst economy rate (10.73) and bowling average (41.47) in the league. Their inability to strike in the middle overs (just seven wickets between overs 7-16) and the absence of a quality spinner, like Adam Zampa, has left much of the burden on young Zeeshan Ansari.
With playoffs qualification slowly slipping away, SRH need a course correction—fast.
Team News & Probable XI
SRH missed Harshal Patel in their last game due to illness, with Jaydev Unadkat filling in briefly. If Harshal returns, he’s expected to reclaim his spot, especially for his death-overs skills. There’s also a case for Adam Zampa returning to strengthen their spin attack in place of Kamindu Mendis.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable XII):
- Travis Head
- Abhishek Sharma
- Ishan Kishan
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Heinrich Klaasen (wk)
- Aniket Verma
- Kamindu Mendis
- Pat Cummins (capt)
- Zeeshan Ansari
- Jaydev Unadkat/Harshal Patel
- Mohammed Shami
- Simarjeet Singh/Rahul Chahar
PBKS are likely to stick to the winning formula from their last match against CSK. They opted for an impact substitution with Yash Thakur replacing centurion Arya when it was time to bowl, and could repeat that tactic.
Punjab Kings (probable XII):
- Prabhsimran Singh (wk)
- Priyansh Arya
- Shreyas Iyer (capt)
- Nehal Wadhera
- Shashank Singh
- Glenn Maxwell
- Marcus Stoinis
- Marco Jansen
- Yuzvendra Chahal
- Arshdeep Singh
- Lockie Ferguson
- Yash Thakur
Players to Watch
Pat Cummins hasn’t been the same force with the ball this season. His economy rate has ballooned to 11.16—well above last season’s 7.30 at the same stage. His middle-over success has vanished, and he’s struggled during the death, conceding nearly 19 runs per over without taking a wicket.
Yuzvendra Chahal, too, is going through a rough patch. He has gone wicketless in three of four games and often hasn’t bowled his full quota. Against CSK, he bowled just one over. He could play a pivotal role if SRH’s left-handed top order—including Head, Abhishek, and Kishan—gets going.
As these two teams with opposite momentum face off, SRH will hope to find a spark, while PBKS look to extend their strong start and inch closer to playoff qualification.
