Hyderabad vs Rajasthan player battles: Bhuvneshwar Kumar will aim to better his record against Sanju Samson

Match 5 of the Indian T20 League 2022 will see Team Hyderabad crossing swords with Team Rajasthan at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday, March 29. The match will start at 7:30 PM IST.

Both Hyderabad and Rajasthan will look to open their Indian T20 League 2022 account with a win on Tuesday.

A new-look Hyderabad team is set to be without their explosive opening batters in David Warner and Jonny Bairstow as they were released ahead of the mega auction. For Rajasthan, the team made some heavy investments in all departments and it will be interesting to see how the stars will gel in their tournament opener.

As far as their head-to-head record is concerned, Hyderabad narrowly lead the tally with eight wins in 15 matches. Rajasthan, on the other hand, have won seven.

Hyderabad vs Rajasthan key player battles

Bhuvneshwar Kumar vs Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson has squared off against Bhuvneshwar Kumar on 14 occasions in the past and has returned with 111 runs off just 84 balls while being dismissed on only two occasions. The fact that the Rajasthan captain has played Bhuvneshwar at a strike rate of more than 130 explains how undemanding it has been for the former to read the Indian seamer.

However, for someone who has single-handedly made a name for himself in the Indian T20 League, Samson’s productive return against one of India’s top bowlers doesn’t strike as any surprise. Come Wednesday, one can expect a similar story altogether.

Kane Williamson vs Yuzvendra Chahal

An Indian T20 League seasoner, Yuzvendra Chahal will hope to make a positive impact in the opening match for his new team. Judging by his past record, the signs are extremely positive since he has been rather successful against Kane Williamson in the tournament.

The two crossed paths in as many as seven innings in the past, with the Hyderabad captain managing 54 fours in as many deliveries against the spinner. But while the leggie has been successful in restricting the New Zealand skipper, he has only managed to dismiss him once.

Nicholas Pooran vs Ravichandran Ashwin

A certain Nicholas Pooran has a heavy responsibility to shoulder. The West Indies batter has been in excellent form of late, but it’s no secret that playing in the Indian T20 League is a different ball game altogether.

Take his experience of taking on Ravichandran Ashwin for example. In two innings, the Windies hard-hitter has managed a mere 15 runs off 14 deliveries against the off-spinner and has even been dismissed once.

Featured photo: AFP / Noah Seelam