IPL 2022: SRH vs RR, Match Prediction - Familar foes eye winning start

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 is already off to a thriller. In Match 5, two former champions, SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will collide at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune on Tuesday. While both teams are familiar foes, they will be eyeing a winning start to the tournament as we present the match preview and predict the winner.

IPL 2021 performance
Both sides had a below-par performance in IPL 2021. While SRH finished at the bottom of the table, RR managed a place above. Both teams have undergone a large squad overall, and they are expected to fare better this term.

Teams strengths and weaknesses
As for the SRH squad, it is tide heavy in terms of its bowling. However, given the firepower in its batting, it is a challenging squad. The likes of Aiden Markram, Kane Williamson, Marco Jansen, Nicholas Pooran, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan are the ones who would be effective for the side.

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On the other hand, RR has also a slightly bowling heavy squad like SRH, but packed sith superstars in its batting, making it equally competitive. Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Rassie van der Dussen, Devdutt Padikkal, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jimmy Neesham, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult are sure to dominate.

Injury concerns and head-to-head
None of the sides has any injury setbacks fresh into the season. In 15 meetings, SRH edges past 8-7, while in 11 clashes in India, SRH leads 6-5. It would be their maiden clash in Pune.

Weather and pitch report
The Pune weather will be hot, with temperatures between 23-39 degrees. As for the pitch, it usually tends to be on the batting side, while the toss could see skippers opting to chase, keeping in mind the dew factor.

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Probable XI
SRH: Aiden Markram, Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Umran Malik, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T Natarajan.
RR: Jos Buttler (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, James Neesham/Nathan Coulter-Nile, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal and Prasidh Krishna.

Fantasy XI
Batters: Williamson (vc), Tripathi, Padikkal, Jaiswal - Padikkal and Jaiswal will nail it as openers, while Williamson will fire at number three. Tripathi can consolidate in the middle as a finisher, while Williamson's reliability makes him the deputy captain.
Wicketkeepers: Buttler (c), Samson, Pooran - Buttler and Samson will rule at the top, along with Pooran in the middle, while Buttler's great form makes him the skipper.
All-rounder: Sundar - He happens to be the only one in the department in form.
Bowlers: Chahal, Boult, Abbott - Chahal is a no-brainer for his impactful spins, while Boult and Abbot would kill it with their pace.

Match details
Date and day: March 29, 2022 (Tuesday)
Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Stadium, Pune
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (also available in HD and other regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar
Prediction: RR wins