Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2024 Qualifier 2

The Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season is back in Chennai for its crucial Qualifier 2 encounter. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) is set to take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, May 24. The match will start at 7:30 PM. SRH lost the IPL 2024 Qualifier 1 match against Kolkata Knight Riders but has another chance for the championship clash as they will take on Rajasthan, who beat RCB in the Eliminator. The winner will face KKR in the IPL Final on Sunday. Sunrisers Hyderabad's power-hitting duo, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma, known as 'Travishek' by fans, will be up against Rajasthan Royals' spin twins, Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin, in the high-stakes second Qualifier on Friday, May 24. 

Travis Head has scored 533 runs at a strike rate of 199.62, while Abhishek Sharma has scored 470 runs at a strike rate of 207.04. Together, they have hit a total of 72 sixes and 96 boundaries. Heinrich Klaasen, with 413 runs at a strike rate of 180, has also been impressive, smashing 34 maximums. Playing at Chepauk will be a different experience compared to the batting-friendly surfaces of Uppal, Kotla, or Wankhede. The sticky nature of the pitch can make it difficult to play shots. Indian veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin's intimate knowledge of the home conditions and Chahal's leg-spin prowess could pose a significant threat to SRH's power hitters. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will heavily rely on T Natarajan, their leading wicket-taker this season, to take advantage of the home conditions.

The experienced duo of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Pat Cummins will need to step up, especially considering Bhuvi's recent performances without taking any wickets. SRH's lack of quality spinners, with Mayank Markande being mediocre and Shahbaz Ahmed primarily a batter, could be a cause for concern. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals will be boosted by their comprehensive win against RCB in the IPL 2024 Eliminator, which ended their five-game winless streak. Yashasvi Jaiswal's good form at the top is a positive sign ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, but skipper Sanju Samson will need to contribute more consistently. The middle order, especially Dhruv Jurel, will be under pressure to perform. RR will also rely on their West Indies stars Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell for explosive hitting, while Riyan Parag's impressive form this season makes him a key player in their lineup.

SRH vs RR IPL 2024 Qualifier 2: Chennai Weather and Pitch Report

The Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Royals match at IPL 2024 will take place in Chennai on Friday, May 24. According to weather reports, the temperature in Chennai on Friday will be 36°C during the day and 29°C at night. The sky will be cloudy throughout the day and night, with a 10% chance of rain during the day and a 21% chance at night. The humidity will be 71% during the day and 77% at night. The MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai has produced varying pitches this season. Some games have seen slow and low Chepauk surfaces, while others have resulted in high-scoring encounters. One notable match was between Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on April 23, where the hosts scored 210/4 in their 20 overs before Lucknow chased it down with six wickets and three balls to spare. Sunrisers will be hoping for a batting-friendly pitch on Friday.

Predicted Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI

The Orange Army has their full squad available, and their batters are in formidable form. The opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma will need to play their attacking brand of cricket once again, while Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Reddy are also expected to play a crucial role. However, SRH can make a change to their lineup as Mayank Markande can come in for Viyaskanth in the first team. Also, they may bring former captain Aiden Markram as an Impact Player, especially for the spinning conditions at the Chepauk.

SRH Playing 11

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (C), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan

Impact Player: Aiden Markram

Pat Cummins (C), Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Marco Jansen, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Sanvir Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Agarwal, T. Natarajan, Anmolpreet Singh, Mayank Markande, Upendra Singh Yadav, Umran Malik, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Shahbaz Ahmed, Travis Head, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Jaydev Unadkat, Akash Singh, Jhathavedh Subramanyan.

Predicted Rajasthan Royals Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals will likely play the same team that won the Eliminator match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. It is to be seen how they use their spinners in Chennai, which can be effective against Sunrisers Hyderabad on a slow track. Talking about the overseas selection for the Royals, Tom Kohler-Cadmore is certain to start. Trent Boult, Rovman Powell, and Shimron Hetmyer will likely be the other overseas players.

RR Playing 11

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma

Impact Player: Shimron Hetmyer

Sanju Samson (C & WK), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.