On Sunday, March 23, last season's finalists, Sunrisers Hyderabad will kickstart their IPL 2025 campaign when they lock horns against Rajasthan Royals at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. The Men in Orange had a remarkable season in IPL 2024 as they breathed fire in group stages but tumbled in the final hurdle.
Meanwhile, for the ongoing season, SRH retained their core stars, who performed in the previous season and also roped in several big stars, such as Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Shami. Thus, ahead of the crucial tie, let's look at SRH's probable XI for the match against Rajasthan Royals.
Head, Sharma To Open; Ishan Kishan To Bat At No.3
Sunrisers Hyderabad have probable the most lethal top-order among all teams, and the management wouldn't look to make any changes to the side. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma wreaked havoc in IPL 2024 and will open the innings for the Men in Orange. Further, SRH have roped in Ishan Kishan during the auction and he will bat at no.3 for Hyderabad.
Ishan has also been in fine form during the intra-squad matches and is looking to make a mark in the upcoming games. Lets look at IPL stats with strike-rate of these three-top-order batters.
(Head & Sharma's Stats At Opener; Ishan's stats in IPL)
Criteria
Travis Head
Abhishek Sharma
Ishan Kishan
Innings
16
38
99
Runs
569
1052
2644
Average
37.93
28.43
28.43
Strike-Rate
189.04
156.32
135.87
50/100
4/1
6/0
16/0
The most important graph to look here is the strike-rate. All three batters play at a scoring rate of nearly 150, which is a concerning sign for the opponent.
Nitish Reddy, Klaasen In Middle-Order; Abhinav Manohar As Impact Star
In the middle-order, SRH has Nitish Reddy, who won the IPL's emerging trophy award as he scored 303 in 15 matches and averaged 30+. Further, Klaasen requires no introduction as he has been SRH's best player in the last couple of years.
Further, in case, SRH are batting first, then Abhinav Manohar would bat at No.6 and be a part of the playing XI. However, he would be brought as an impact player if SRH fields first. For the No.7 position, they can have Wiaan Mulder, who will make his IPL debut. The Rajiv Gandhi Stadium is known for not helping spinners and since Mulder can help with the bat and also bowl medium pace, he can prove to be a great asset for the Men in Orange.
Notably, Abhinav amassed 507 runs in 10 innings, averaging 84.50 in Maharaja T20 Cup 2024.Let's Check Abhinav Manohar's stats.
Criteria
Data
Matches
10
Runs
507
Average
85.50
50/100
6/0
(Tournament: Maharaja T20 Cup 2024)
Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar
In the bowling section, Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, and Harshal Patel are irreplaceable. They all have different roles and a key place in the team. Talking about the spin, unfortunately, there is no space for Adam Zampa as SRH have gone out of space for overseas stars. Thus, they will have to go ahead with Rahul Chahar. Further, Jaydev Unadkat can come in as an impact player for SRH.
Lets Look at Chahar vs Zampa Stats in IPL history.
Criteria
Adam Zampa
Rahul Chahar
Matches
20
78
Wickets
29
75
3 Wicket Haul
3
6
Economy Rate
7.99
7.72
SRH's Probable XI For IPL 2025
Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder, Pat Cummins, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar, Harshal Patel
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Sunrisers Hyderabad- (Source:@SRHFanClub/X.com) (1).jpg?type=tq)
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