SRH vs RR, IPL 2024 Qualifier 2 Preview: Sunrisers Hyderabad's 'Travishek' to clash with Rajasthan Royals' spin titans in knock-out encounter

NEW DELHI: Sunrisers Hyderabad's power-hitting duo Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, affectionately known as 'Travishek' by fans, will face a formidable challenge in the form of Rajasthan Royals' spin twins Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin in the high-stakes second Qualifier on Friday.
Head (533 runs at 199.62) and Abhishek (470 at 207.04) have been in scintillating form, hitting a combined 72 sixes and 96 boundaries.Heinrich Klaasen (413 runs at 180) has also been a force to reckon with, smashing 34 maximums.

SEE ALSO: IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP

However, playing at Chepauk will be a different ball game compared to the batting-friendly surfaces of Uppal, Kotla, or Wankhede. The sticky nature of the pitch can make stroke-making difficult, and Ashwin's intimate knowledge of the conditions, coupled with Chahal's leg-spin prowess, could pose a significant threat to SRH's power-hitters.
SRH will rely heavily on T Natarajan, their leading wicket-taker this season, to exploit the home conditions. However, the experienced duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins will need to step up, especially considering Kumar's recent wicket-less performances. SRH's lack of quality spinners, with Mayank Markande being mediocre and Shahbaz Ahmed primarily a batsman, could be a cause for concern.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, will be buoyed by their comprehensive win against RCB, which ended their five-game winless streak. Yashasvi Jaiswal's form at the top is a positive sign ahead of the T20 World Cup, but skipper Sanju Samson will need to contribute more consistently.
The middle order, particularly Dhruv Jurel, will be under pressure to deliver. RR will also bank on their Caribbean game-changers Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell for some explosive hitting, while Riyan Parag's impressive form this season makes him a key player in their lineup.
Squads:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips (wk), Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Upendra Yadav (wk), Jhathavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh and Mayank Agarwal.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Abid Mushtaq, Avesh Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Donovan Ferreira, Kuldeep Sen, Kunal Singh Rathore, Nandre Burger, Navdeep Saini, Ravichandran Ashwin, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Trent Boult, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal and Tanush Kotian.
Match starts: 7.30 pm (IST)
(Inputs from PTI)