Sunrisers Hyderabad were flying in the first week, they then stumbled in the second and then got their act together to conjure few wins and then were plain lucky to qualify for the playoffs with only 12 points on the board.

It will all be forgotten now, they will start with a blank slate against Delhi Capitals, another side which blew hot and cold right through, and since, Kane Williamson’s side have the experience of facing the pressure of a knockout game, they could well fancy their chances.

It all boils down to how the surface would behave - the pitch in Vizag has been sluggish and sticky in the recent past which has seen the average score in the last five matches dip below 140. This means that SRH with Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi in their side could be a threat.

Also, Martin Guptill and Wriddhiman Saha at the top of the order have to try to match the exploits of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, which is slightly unrealistic, which is why the form of Manish Pandey comes as a big boost to the side.

However, there are concerns with the middle order and Vijay Shankar has to step up and get cracking in this crucial game. The pace attack looks fairly settled, but the management could be very tempted to play Abhishek Sharma instead of Yusuf Pathan.

Sunrisers have won 9 out the 14 matches between the two sides and Delhi have never won a knockout game - these stats paint a picture, but it all boils down to temperament on the big day.

Here is Sunrisers Hyderabad’s predicted XI for the match against Delhi Capitals:

Wriddhiman Saha(w), Martin Guptill, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson(c), Vijay Shankar, Abhishek Sharma, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Sandeep Sharma

First Published: May 08, 2019 10:11 IST