IPL 9: Sunrisers Hyderabad look to tame Rising Pune Supergiants

Sunrisers Hyderabad players celebrate the fall of a Kings XI Punjab wicket during the Indian Premier League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday

Hyderabad: On a roll after three consecutive wins, a resurgent Sunrisers Hyderabad will start as overwhelming favourites against struggling Rising Pune Supergiants in an Indian Premier League match today.

Sunrisers Hyderabad players celebrate the fall of a Kings XI Punjab wicket during the Indian Premier League match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Saturday. Pic/AFP

After losing two games in a row, Sunrisers turned their fortunes around by posting comprehensive wins.

The Hyderabad outfit is occupying the fourth spot in the eight-team standings with six points from five games.

On the contrary, MS Dhoni-led Supergiants are languishing at the seventh spot with just two points from five encounters.
Despite injuries to its key players, including Yuvraj Singh, Ashish Nehra and Kane Williamson, the Hyderabad side has been on a high with the team clicking collectively in the last three games.

Dhawan hits form
Dhawan regained his touch with unbeaten 53 against Gujarat Lions and 45 against Kings XI Punjab.

In Nehra's absence, seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been leading SRH's bowling department and is currently the second-highest wicket taker with eight scalps from five games.

But it is young Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who has been the most impressive. He has been using his variations to perfection to earn the accolades from his skipper.

Supergiants, on the other hand, have been struggling to find the right team combination, a fact which head coach Stephen Fleming accepted. After the win over Mumbai Indians, Pune have suffered four consecutive defeats.

And come today, skipper MS Dhoni will be eager to break the sequence of reverses and get the Supergiants' campaign back on track.