Two teams occupying the last two slots of the 2021 Indian T20 League take on each other as Sanju Samson’s Team Rajasthan play host to one-time champions Team Hyderabad in the first match of Sunday’s doubleheader at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Both the teams have endured a difficult start to their new season. While Rajasthan have won two of their six games this season, Hyderabad have mustered a solitary victory in their six outings.
| Rajasthan vs Hyderabad head-to-head | ||
| Rajasthan | Metrics | Hyderabad |
| 13 | Matches | 13 |
| 6 | Wins | 7 |
| 46.15% | Win % | 53.85% |
There’s absolutely nothing to separate these two teams, to say the least. Judging by Rajasthan vs Hyderabad head-to-head record, the latter does have the upper hand with seven wins in 13 games, but Rajasthan aren’t behind either, with six wins. It is in Delhi, though, where things get tricky. Hyderabad’s superior record at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium makes them a slight favourites.
| Rajasthan and Hyderabad's record in Delhi | ||
| Rajasthan | Metrics | Hyderabad |
| 10 | Matches | 9 |
| 4 | Wins | 6 |
| 40% | Win % | 66.67% |
Hyderabad, who have recently named Kane Williamson as their new captain, have won six of their nine games in Delhi, while Rajasthan have registered just four wins in 10 games at the venue. Delhi is expected to be favourable for batters as all four teams have crossed the 170-run mark in the last two games at the venue. This means Rajasthan are odd-on favourites to hit more boundaries given that they have averaged 13.4 fours and 5.8 sixes in their last five outings. The count for Hyderabad is 10.4 fours and 5.2 sixes.
| Best batters for Rajasthan vs Hyderabad | |||||||
| Batsmen | Matches | Runs | High score | Average | Strike rate | 100s | 50s |
| Sanju Samson | 16 | 485 | 102* | 40.41 | 125.97 | 1 | 0 |
| David Warner | 12 | 389 | 77 | 32.41 | 125.08 | 0 | 3 |
Rajasthan are certain to pin their hopes on captain Sanju Samson given his record against Hyderabad. The 26-year-old has scored 485 runs against Hyderabad, and this has come at an average of 40.41. For Hyderabad, former captain David Warner remains the best bet as he has scored 389 runs against Rajasthan in 12 matches.
| Best bowlers for Rajasthan vs Hyderabad | |||||
| Bowlers | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
| Jaydev Unadkat | 10 | 14 | 22.21 | 8.41 | 15.86 |
| Rashid Khan | 6 | 7 | 21.86 | 6.38 | 20.57 |
As far as bowlers are concerned, a certain Jaydev Unadkat has been pretty successful against Hyderabad as his figures against them read 14 wickets in 10 innings at an economy of 8.41. For Hyderabad, none of their bowlers have really managed to trouble Rajasthan, but Rashid Khan have managed to pick seven wickets in six innings, and he has bowled at an economy of 6.38.
Featured photo: AFP / Money Sharma
