SRH vs PBKS, IPL 2022 preview: Hyderabad and Punjab play for pride in final league match – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

Playing for pride, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will square off one last time in IPL 2022 as the league stage comes to its conclusion with match number 70, which is to be played at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium on Sunday.

Both sides have 12 points from 13 games, which means the winning side on the night will still be two points off the fourth-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore, who sealed off the spot after Delhi Capitals’ loss to Mumbai Indians on Saturday night.

Umran Malik in spotlight as SRH take on PBKS in last match of the league stages. Sportzpics

As far as Sunday’s match is concerned, SRH and PBKS will be facing off for the second time this tournament with the first match going in SRH’s favour with a hefty seven-wicket win. Played at neighbouring Brabourne Stadium, Umran Malik and Bhuvneshwar Kumar shone in the game with four and three wickets each to bundle out PBKS at 151.

Aiden Markram (41 not out) and Nicholas Pooran (35 not out) then brought SRH home after Abhishek Sharma set the tone of the chase with a 25-ball 31.

Star watch

Bhuvneshwar Kumar: A career marred with injuries, the veteran Indian pacer has lost his place in the Indian team over the last two years. Not the wicket-taking force he once used to be, the bowler seems to have used his years of experience to turn himself into a complete bowler, who doesn’t leak runs in the shortest format. That’s why looking at his 12 wickets from 13 games this IPL doesn’t explain why he is a go-to bowler for his captain at the death as the maiden-wicket 19th over against Mumbai Indians is fresh in everyone’s mind. For the stat lovers, he is the third-best death bowler in this tournament with an economy rate of 8.61.

Liam Livingstone: The most expensive overseas star at the IPL mega auction, Liam Livingstone couldn’t justify his hefty price tag earlier in the season as his performance has been sporadic as his franchise. However, in the last two-three games, the all-rounder has found some rhythm going with a 70-run match-winning knock against Royal Challengers Bangalore followed by three-wicket spell for a losing cause against Delhi Capitals. And since PBKS top-order is misfiring once again, the onus will be on him agian to get the job done.

Uncapped watch:

Umran Malik: Premium pacer Umran Malik remains the talk of the town with him clocking as quick as 157 kmph. A never-seen-before talent of Indian bowling, the 22-year-old Jammu pacer has kept fans on the edge of their seat with how fast he can go in his last game of the season. As far as his wicket-taking form is concerned, he spearheads the SRH bowling unit with 21 wickets — six of which came in the last two games.

Arshdeep Singh: And if SRH is relying on their pace merchant, Arshdeep Singh has been doing his job off the radar for PBKS at the fag end. Struggling for the majority of the season, Singh found his form late with seven wickets in the last four games. He is captain Mayank Agarwal’s most potent weapon in the death overs as the 23-year-old seamer is the best economical bowler in 17-20 overs ahead of Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

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