After registering a comfortable and comprehensive victory against Chennai Super Kings, Rajasthan Royals have kept themselves in the league. The team are up against Sunrisers Hyderabad is one of the most important fixtures of the season. A victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad will put them in a good position in the race as Kolkata Knight Riders lost against Royal Challengers Bangalore at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
For Rajasthan Royals, it was a clinical performance against Chennai Super Kings. They restricted Chennai Super Kings to a sub-par score of 125 in 20 overs. Despite losing the wickets in flurry while chasing, Steve Smith and Jos Buttler bailed the team away from the danger with sensible innings.
However, there are plenty of concerns for the side. It has been nine games and the team has failed to get a standard opening pair. There has been a constant chop in the batting line-up which has led to confusion. The team will look to address the issue at the earliest as Sunrisers Hyderabad have one of the strongest bowling units.
Phir se ho jaye?#RRvSRH | #HallaBol | #IPL2020 | @rahultewatia02 | @ParagRiyan pic.twitter.com/sAYsgtThL4
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 22, 2020
Here are the top three picks for Rajasthan Royals against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday:
#1) Ben Stokes
The English southpaw is yet to the top form in the Indian Premier League. The player arrived late to the tournament owing to personal reasons but has failed to pick his form. Despite playing in the lower order for his national team, Ben Stokes has been promoted as a top-order batsman by Steve Smith. In four games, he has just 80 runs to his name at a strike rate of 112.67. He has the highest score of 41 in the ongoing edition of the IPL.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have a great bowling line-up and the team requires a great start at the top of the order. Ben Stokes will be one of the top three picks for the Rajasthan Royals at Dubai International Stadium.
#2) Jofra Archer
One of the brightest spots in the poor IPL for Rajasthan Royals, Jofra Archer will be one of the top three picks for his side against David Warner-led Sunrisers Hyderabad. Jofra Archer is in the race to clinch Purple Cap and has bowled some extremely crucial spells for the side.
In the previous game against Chennai Super Kings, Jofra Archer picked a wicket for 20 runs in his four-over quota. Not only with the ball, but the player is also effective with the bat too. Steve Smith will look for a great performance from his strike bowler in match 40.
#3) Steve Smith
The Australian batsman looked in fine touch against Chennai Super Kings despite he took his time to settle. The player came at no 4 for Rajasthan Royals but stood till the final run was scored. His slow but steering partnership with Jos Buttler helped to wrap up the game for his side.
Against SRH, Steve Smith will hope to get back to his best and register one more victory after they lost the game against Royal Challengers Bangalore by the minute of the margins. The captain will be one of the top three picks for RR against SRH.
