Sunrisers Hyderabad will be looking to regroup when it takes on Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) fixture at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday.
With Sunrisers suffering a defeat in the opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, courtesy a blitzkrieg of an innings by Andre Russell, questions have been raised over its bowling attack.
The major concern is the diminishing striking prowess of its star bowler and knuckle-ball specialist Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Kumar has been struggling a bit in the last year or so. So, it will be a challenge for him to bounce back in the second game of the season.
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In the batting department, it will be interesting to see who partners David Warner -- who reminded about his destructive ability even in the first match on his comeback against KKR the other night -- as Kane Williamson is said to be fit for the game against Royals. He is also expected to lead the side and that would certainly be a boost for the home team.
All-rounder Vijay Shankar has proved his utility value in the first game with his new-found confidence which is a major plus. In a way, there could be few batting worries for the home team.
On the other hand, Royals, led by Ajinkya Rahane, should look for an improved performance after chocking against Kings XI Punjab in the first game.
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It has class and depth in batting with the likes of Rahane, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes and Sanju Samson capable of turning the game around on their own.
Even the bowling too looks good enough with pace in the hands of West Indian Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni. As far spin is concerned, it has Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal. But then, it will be a tough challenge for them when they take on SRH.
By all means, the match, first at home for SRH, should be the perfect stage for the host to return to winning ways.
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