Resurgent Rajasthan look to boost play-off hopes

    Mohammad Abdullah, Staff Reporter

A resurgent Rajasthan Royals (RR) will look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their must-win clash of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Thursday.

After a series of losses in the preliminary stages of the tournament, Rajasthan and Punjab seem to be gaining some momentum but their every match is a must-win as three teams are vying for the fourth place.

Rajasthan are at the sixth spot in the standings with eight points after four wins from nine games and still they have a thin chance of making to the next round.

On the other hand, Hyderabad are a place below them with only six points and they need to toil harder to claim a stake for the fourth spot.

Rajasthan’s strength has been their batting in the tournament. They have a star-studded batting line-up that includes the likes of Steve Smith, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Rahul Tewatia.

Their top-order failed to fire against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last match yet they registered a facile win. Their experiment of demoting Buttler to number five have augured well with the team’s plan. The explosive England batsman smacked an unbeaten 70 to steer them to a victory.

Buttler playing at number five will further bolster their middle order. In Tewatia, they have another explosive bastman who can spur the runs rate.

Tewatia showed his big hitting skills when he hit Punjab’s pace spearhead for five sixes in an over as Rajasthan chased down the record total.

Stokes and Robin Uthappa need to provide a brisk start while the onus of converting them lies on the shoulders of Buttler and Smith. With Uthappa finally getting some runs on the board is another positive sign for the Royals.

Uthappa was a complete failure with the bat in the first few matches of the tournament, which put a lot of pressure on the batsmen to come. But now he is discharging the responsibility of being the vice-captain.

Stokes is yet to do anything significant since he came from New Zealand, where he was nursing his ailing father. But his presence in the team is enough to lift their spirit and can turn the complexion of any game both with the ball and the bat.

Sanju Samson failed to get the momentum going and have fallen off a cliff after the first two matches of the season. He is also due to play a big inning and would be looking to get his act together.

Young Riyan Parag and Tewatia have been the rescue men for their team. They have pulled the team out of rot on many occasions. They are expected to carry on the good work but with top order striking the form, the pressure is expected to be less on them.

In the bowling department, Rajasthan’s leading wicket-taker Jofra Archer is likely to spearhead the pace battery. He is looking for some meaningful support from Stokes, who is yet live up to his billing.

Hyderabad are on the verge of losing a play-off berth and they need to win all their games to remain afloat. The former champions heavily rely on its top four -- Jonny Bairstow, Warner, Manish Pandey and Kane Williamson.

The chinks in their fragile middle order have been exposed many a times. They lack a good finisher down the order. In the last match, Warner had to come down the order because of Williamson’s injury.

Like Rajasthan, Hyderabad’ campaign was also hampered by the absence of the key players in the beginning of the tournament. Williamson and Bairstow joined the team quite late.