IPL 2024 Qualifier 2, SRH vs RR: Key player battles
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will lock horns in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season Qualifier 2 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. RR recently beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Eliminator, while SRH lost the Qualifier 1 to finalists Kolkata Knight Riders. The impending match offers quite a few intriguing player battles. Here are a few of them.
Travis Head vs Trent Boult
SRH opener Travis Head has smashed 533 runs from 13 encounters in IPL 2024 so far. Although Head's strike-rate reads 199.62, he is coming off two successive ducks. Mitchell Starc knocked over Head with a peach in the previous match. RR's left-arm pacer Trent Boult could pose a similar threat. Interestingly, Head has struck at 173.33 against Boult in T20 cricket.
Heinrich Klaasen vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Heinrich Klaasen has been SRH's match-winner with the bat. He is known for his explosive shots and is considered a dangerous prospect against spin. Yuzvendra Chahal, who owns 200 IPL wickets, will be tasked to trump Klaasen. Across seven T20 innings, Klaasen has scored 108 runs from 46 balls off Chahal (SR: 234.78). Meanwhile, the leg-spinner has dismissed Klaasen thrice.
Rahul Tripathi vs Ravichandran Ashwin
SRH batter Rahul Tripathi scored a rescuing half-century against Kolkata Knight Riders in the first Qualifier. However, it wasn't enough as SRH ended up losing the match. RR could introduce off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin to tackle an in-form Tripathi. Ashwin has restricted Tripathi's strike-rate to 111.11, dismissing him once. Tripathi has smashed a four and a six off Ashwin.
Riyan Parag vs T Natarajan
RR's Riyan Parag will once again have the spotlight. He has racked up a staggering 521 runs at 52.10 this season. With at least one match to go, Riyan already has the third-most runs by an uncapped batter in an IPL season. SRH's left-arm pacer T Natarajan could stop Riyan, having dismissed him twice in five T20 innings. However, Riyan's strike-rate reads 170.37.
