IPL 2018: Can Sunrisers outbowl Super Kings?

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling will again come to the fore versus Chennai Super Kings at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune on Sunday.

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling will again come to the fore versus Chennai Super Kings at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium in Pune on Sunday.

For any team, to rely on bowling to win a T20 league is an uncommon thought. It's seldom done. A handful of teams have been able to make the ball-over-bat approach a big success. Sunrisers Hyderabad started a cult of sorts. The approach has been visible for three seasons now.

After outbowling its opponents consistently this season, Sunrisers is being compared to Perth Scorchers (Big Bash League) — the best example of the approach in recent times. Similarities are being drawn in terms of defending small totals and having depth in the bowling attack.

 

Sunrisers’ bowling will again come to the fore versus Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Maharashtra Cricket Stadium here on Sunday.

Rashid’s length

Rashid Khan, by his own admission, is fixated on spot-bowling (focussing on the length). The length he couldn't hit consistently when Chris Gayle (104 not out) and Suresh Raina (54) smashed him in consecutive matches. Analysing those performances, Rashid had reckoned he had bowled fuller than he would've liked to.

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Statistically, Rashid has been effective versus the right-handers. He feels he bowls the googly "much better" to the right-handers.

Kaul's knuckleball

There's a thing about Siddarth Kaul's knuckleball. Generally, batsmen use the bowler's fingertips over the seam to differentiate the knuckleball from the normal seam-up delivery — he can see them in the case of the latter, and cannot in the case of the former which is bowled with bent fingers. It was observed by Sanjay Manjrekar from the commentary box that Kaul's fingertips weren't to be seen in either case. It'll be interesting to know if he consciously practises it. And it's something the CSK batsmen will be wary of.

Sunrisers' death bowling

It's also to be seen how Kaul and Bhuvneshwar Kumar approach death bowling after being taken for runs by Rishabh Pant in Sunrisers' last match. Kaul had boasted an economy rate of only 7 in the overs 16-20 before that match.

Pant especially handled the wide full deliveries remarkably well.

On Sunday, Ambati Rayudu (who hit 79 when the two sides had met earlier) will be a big threat for Sunrisers.

Saha out

Sunrisers coach Tom Moody on Saturday said the injured Wriddhiman Saha is unavailable for Sunday's match.