IPL 2025: Sunrisers Hyderabad’s big guns look to fire again as Punjab roll into town
Dubai: Sunrisers Hyderabad are on a four-match losing skid and will be banking on home comforts to roar back into Indian Premier League Season 18. Last season’s runners-up face Punjab Kings in the second game of Saturday’s double-header in Hyderabad..IPL 2025: Mitchell Starc’s masterclass helps Delhi Capitals sink Sunrisers Hyderabad.Punjab Kings, under Shreyas Iyer, are on a roll and arrive at the Sunrisers’ den full of confidence after taming the Chennai Super Kings at home. Young left-handed opener Priyansh Arya is in scintillating form and will once again be key for Punjab, who are still grappling with a misfiring middle order. Marcus Stoinis and Glenn Maxwell are yet to produce anything of note, although Shashank Singh has provided some much-needed stability..Batting firepower gone quiet.Hyderabad, on the other hand, possess arguably the most explosive batting line-up in the tournament — but after their opening game, the bats of these dangerous hitters have gone ominously quiet..Like Punjab, Sunrisers rely heavily on openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head to give them a strong start, with Ishan Kishan expected to extend that dominance. But that hasn’t been happening. After the last match, Hyderabad coach Daniel Vettori stressed the need for his players to respect the conditions..‘We are not taking this lightly’.“SRH is a very dangerous side. Though they lost a few games, it does not mean that they are of any less concern to us. They are definitely a strong team on paper as well. We are not taking this game lightly. We are preparing equally hard as we did for the previous games. We are hopeful we can beat them on their home ground,” Punjab’s Nehal Wadera said at a press conference..Despite four consecutive losses, Hyderabad will start as favourites against a Punjab side whose bowling could crack under pressure — as was evident in their last outing against Chennai..Sunrisers’ bowling, led by Australian Pat Cummins, presents a more balanced and potent look, which could prove to be the decisive factor.
Source: A.K.S. Satish