With the No. 1 position in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 points table on stake, Gujarat Titans square off against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Match No. 40 on Wednesday. It would be the second time that these two sides will face other in the 15th edition of the T20 league. On the previous occasion, the Sunrisers had emerged triumphant in a convincing fashion.
Positioned second in the points table, Gujarat would be keen to beat third-placed Hyderabad who are coming into the contest on the back of 5 consecutive wins. When the two teams had locked horns at the beginning of this month, Kane Williamson (57), Abhishek Sharma (42) and Nicholas Pooran (34 not-out).
In fact, Gujarat have not lost a single game this season barring their defeat to Hyderabad in the first fixture.
Hardik Pandya’s unbeaten half-century off 42 balls had gone in vain. But, the Titans skipper would be keen to make amends this time around. However, his injury issues remain a worry for the franchise. The all-rounder has already missed a game this season due to a groin injury. The franchise wouldn’t want the same to happen again considering the value Hardik brings to the team.
The SRH vs GT clash would see a big reunion as spinner Rashid Khan would be playing against his former team, Sunrisers, again. Handling Hyderabad’s talismanic batters like Kane Williamson, Nicholas Pooran and Aiden Markram would be one of on top of Rashid’s agenda in the match. Rashid had dismissed Abhishek Sharma when the last time these two teams met.
Match Prediction: It’s a pretty even contest, both on paper and in terms of form. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling attack has been their biggest weapon. The bowlers’ performance is likely to decide the fate of the game once again. Expect SRH to beat GT and climb on top of the IPL 2022 standings tonight.
