The State of Play
Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Gujarat Titans in IPL 2024 tomorrow knowing a win will see them become the third team to secure their place in the play-offs.
With Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders already through to the post-season, just two spots remain. Sunrisers are in pole position to claim one of them, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings set to duel it out for the other.
Read our other sports news stories here:
John Fury left bloodied after headbutting member of Usyk camp
Tyson Fury vs Oleksandr Usyk: Preview, how to watch, full card and prediction
Woods not feeling sharp ahead of US PGA Championship
It promises to be an exciting few days, starting tomorrow in Hyderabad when the Sunrisers will look to build on their incredible win over Lucknow Super Giants and get the victory they crave.
They certainly won’t lack confidence given their performance against the Super Giants – the latest in a growing list of wonderful displays with the bat led by openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.
Having restricted Lucknow to 165 for four from their 20 overs, Head and Sharma knocked them off themselves inside 10 overs to complete a 10-wicket win that also did wonders for their net run rate.
Sunrisers captain Pat Cummins said: “I just let them go. Two guys who are very positive about the game. It’s hard to have some answers as a bowler, they have been fantastic.”
18+ Gambling Can Be Addictive. Please Play Responsibly. BeGambleAware GamStop Gambling Commission
The Titans have little to play for other than pride after seeing their play-off hopes disappear in the Ahmedabad drizzle on Monday.
Shubman Gill’s men needed a win against KKR – and results elsewhere to go their way – to stand any chance of advancing but inclement weather saw the game abandoned without a ball being bowled. It was the first game in IPL 2024 to be called off.
It brought huge disappointment for the 45,000 crowd as the Titans missed out on the play-offs for the first time since joining the competition ahead of the 2022 season.
𝗛𝗶derabad 👋#AavaDe | #GTKarshe | #SRHvGT pic.twitter.com/VK5YW2MtJD
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) May 14, 2024
Expected line-ups
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Sharma, Head, Reddy, Klaasen (wk), Samad, Ahmed, Singh, Cummins (c), Kumar, Unadkat, Viyaskanth
Gujarat Titans: Sudharsan, Gill (c), Miller, MS Khan, Wade (wk), Tewatia, R Khan, Ahmad, Yadav, Sharma, Tyagi
How to watch
Sky have the rights to show the IPL to UK viewers in 2024 and will broadcast every game live. Thursday’s match will be shown on Sky Sports Cricket from 2.50pm BST.
In India, the games can be streamed on the Jio Cinema app and website. They are also available across the Star Sports Network.
Training in full flow ahead of #SRHvGT 💪🔥 pic.twitter.com/vtzU6So7nC
— SunRisers Hyderabad (@SunRisers) May 14, 2024
Prediction
Sharma and Head have broken all kinds of records this season and it’s tough not to see them feasting on the Titans bowling.
The Titans can count themselves unlucky that their late play-off bid was thwarted but the truth is they were unlikely to get there anyway after an underwhelming season.
We expect the Sunrisers to get the job done and get the win they need.
