IPL 2018 Match 4: FPJ’s Dream XI for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals

The 11th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has begun with a bang. Till now, six teams played their opening match with some dramatic finishes. And now, in the fourth match, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi stadium in Hyderabad. Both the teams had faced a huge setback before beginning their campaign after their respective captains, David Warner and Steve Smith were banned to play this season due to Cricket Australia’s suspension. However, despite this both the teams are well balanced.

Talking about SRH, the team will be led by New Zealand captain Kane Williamson. They have formidable look to their side with players like Shikhar Dhawan, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kunar and Deepak Hooda. They also have notable all-rounders Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite and Mohammed Nabi, which add more power to the squad. This will be the first match for SRH this season under Williamson, and they will be playing at their home-ground. Here we pick our Dream XI for SRH’s first match.

SRH: Shikhar Dhawan, Alex Hales, Kane Williamson (C), Manish Pandey, Wriddhima Saha (WK), Shakib Al Hasan, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Basil Thampi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals (RR) are in the fray after the two-year ban. The squad will be led by Team India’s Test team vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane and mentored by Shane Warne. The franchise had went out of their way and bought the thunder-bolts at the auction this year. They have the best all-rounder, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. Stokes earlier played for Rising Pune Supergiant (RPS) and showed his worth by living up to his heavy price tag. But this time, they lack the presence of a superstar, and Stokes should fill the box for them. The batting line-up of Royals is strong and is expected to have impressive depth. Here is the Dream XI for double R.

RR: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Rahul Tripathy, D’Arcy Short, Stuart Binny, Ben Stokes, Jaydev Unadkat, Jofra Archer, Dhawal Kulkarni, Shreyas Gopal