IPL 2024, PBKS vs SRH: Decoding the key player battles
Match 23 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) sees the battle between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad. Both sides have played an entertaining brand of cricket as an enticing battle is on the cards. Though both teams have two wins and as many defeats, SRH are ahead in terms of net run rate. Let's decode the player battles that can be on display.
Liam Livingstone vs Mayank Markande
The Sunrisers would not want to witness the Liam Livingstone mayhem in the game. Mayank Markande can be unleashed against him as he tends to struggle against leggies As per ESPNcricinfo, the England dasher has fallen prey to leggies seven times in 18 IPL meetings, striking at just 114.60. However, he is yet to tackle Markande.
Shikhar Dhawan vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Shikhar Dhawan, who has been among the runs, would want to make a substantial contribution. The PBKS skipper would be challenged by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who owns the most powerplay wickets in IPL (62). Bhuvneshwar has dismissed Dhawan twice in 12 IPL meetings. He has also managed to keep Dhawan at bay as the latter has a strike rate of 105.40 in this battle.
Abhishek Sharma vs Arshdeep Singh
Abhishek Sharma has been destructive at the top this year. The opener has consistently given SRH fiery starts as his strike rate in IPL 2024 reads 217.56. Arshdeep Singh, who operates with the new ball, will look to get the southpaw out early. However, history supports Arshdeep in this battle as Abhishek has slammed him for 28 runs off 18 balls without getting dismissed.
Heinrich Klaasen vs Harpreet Brar
Like Abhishek, Heinrich Klaasen has also been in beast mode this season, hammering 177 runs at a strike rate of 203.45. Harpreet Brar, who has an economy of 5.69 this season, would aim to keep him quiet in the middle overs. However, left-arm spinners have not troubled Klaasen much in IPL as the latter strikes at 191.76 in this regard (0 dismissals).
Key details about the match
Chandigarh's Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium will host this duel on April 9. PBKS played their opener at this venue and chased down 175 against Delhi Capitals. The batters got great value for their shots, though there was some assistance for pacers early on. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on JioCinema (7:30pm IST).