With Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) set to face off, the spotlight will be on two of the most explosive opening pairs. SRH’s Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head have operated together at a strike rate of 208.05 this season, putting together 543 runs scross 10 innings. The only pair to outpace them are PBKS’ Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, who have gone at a staggering 242.5 in eight innings.
PBKS are currently No. 1 on the table and SRH are third, but both sides are coming into the game on the back of losses – two on the trot for PBKS and one for SRH – in games where their respective opening pairs failed to fire. SRH coach Daniel Vettori sees parallels between the two teams particularly their reliance on quick starts, and expects another high-scoring contest in Hyderabad.
“[In both of PBKS’ losses], they [opening pair] obviously haven’t got a score, so that puts a different perspective on how you go about the game,” Vettori said. “It’s the same for us. We know when Travis and Abhishek get away how much it sets up a team performance, and it’s exactly the same for Punjab. So a lot of emphasis on those two batters and how we’re going to cope with them.
“That opening combination has been incredibly impressive, and they’ve had complimentary performances from the majority of their batting line-ups. In a lot of ways, they’re like us. They’re very aggressive with the bat, and then they just try and mitigate anything they can with the ball. So they’re pretty well planned and have a good understanding of what they’re going to do. You’d anticipate a high-scoring game, and it’s the bowling unit that can deal with that pressure, really.”
In the loss against Kolkata Knight Riders, Abhishek fell early for a 10-ball 15, after which Head and Ishan Kishan added 61, but a middle-order collapse meant they could only post 165, which KKR chased down in 18.2 overs. Vettori insisted, however, that the team has quickly moved on.
“I think the IPL is so short and fast that you have to be ready for every game, and you can’t let a loss linger. You just have to focus on those things that’s really worked during the season. And the majority of our time, I think eight out of ten games, our batting order has been outstanding. So we have full confidence in them and their ability to perform like they have the majority of the season.”
PBKS assistant coach Brad Haddin echoed similar sentiments, stressing the need to contain SRH’s openers while also drawing positives from their own recent defeats, particularly the middle order stepping up in the match against Gujarat Titans.
“Get early wickets, don’t let Head and Abhishek bat too long,” Haddin said.
“I think if you look at last game, GT probably did well with the new ball and the powerplay. We showed some great fight to get the total that we got. That was a really pleasing thing for us because with the success of our top order, our middle order hasn’t really had the opportunity to have a good hit. And from a coach’s point of view, if you look at that, we know how explosive our top order. Now our middle order is starting to get some time together and get some form. [Marcus] Stoinis was outstanding. Young [Suryansh] Shedge was, wow, what about that inning from a young boy. Not so much the score, but the manner in which he got the runs under pressure.”
Both coaches emphasised how crucial these wins would be for their respective teams. A win for PBKS would extend their stay at the top of the table, while SRH will get a chance to go to No. 1.
“Anyone can beat anyone on any given day, and sometimes you think you’re out of the competition and you can make a comeback, and sometimes you think you’re safe and then those losses can mount up,” Vettori said. “So we’re very sure within ourselves around the importance of this game, and we’ll take a performance out there that we hopefully can win.”
Haddin, meanwhile, underlined the importance of the powerplay battle with the ball. “You need to find ways to limit the powerplay. And that’s not only us, that’s everyone through the tournament. If you have a look at some numbers and different momentum swings throughout the tournament, a lot comes back to how effective you are with the new ball.”
Vettori, speaking from a bowler’s perspective, acknowledged the challenges of bowling in high-scoring conditions, particularly in Hyderabad.
“I always put my bowling hat on in these situations and have a lot of concern for them, particularly here where the scores have been so high and it’s difficult,” Vettori said. “But I think, and this is quoting one of Pat’s [Cummins] lines, is that these games at Hyderabad are not about bowling teams out for low scores. They’re about mitigating big overs. They’re about understanding if we’re defending that you only need to win by one run. So if we score 240, then opposition scores 239, then we’re completely comfortable with that.
“So I think good game sense around what’s required here. And it is difficult for bowlers, but I think I hear the bowlers talk. It means that in some ways the pressure’s not on them because they know the batsmen are going to be so aggressive. And sometimes 1 for 40 or 1 for 42 is a really good day because of the context of the game.”
