This contest pits two unfancied teams who have each won the Indian T20 League once. Rajasthan’s triumph under the captaincy of the late, great Shane Warne came way back in 2008, while Hyderabad enjoyed success in 2016. Both squads have undergone wholesale changes before and after the mega auction though, with Rajasthan not having made the play-offs since 2018, and Hyderabad finishing bottom of the table in 2021. 

Hyderabad can no longer call on the services of D. Warner and R. Khan, both contenders for any Indian T20 League dream team. Under K. Williamson’s captaincy, they must coax the best out of their Indian talent, especially youngsters like W. Sunder and U. Malik. They will also hope that key bowlers like B. Kumar, T. Natarajan and M. Jansen stay fit throughout the season. 

Rajasthan have assembled a power-packed batting line-up, with the likes of J. Buttler, S. Samson and S. Hetmyer. They also have a vastly experienced spin pairing in R. Ashwin and Y. Chahal. The problems may lie at the end of the innings though. T. Boult does his best work with the new ball, and the onus will very much be on P. Krishna to keep runs down in the final overs. 

Over the years, this has been a very keenly contested rivalry. Only once, in 2018, did one team (Hyderabad) sweep the series.

Match Details

• Match: Hyderabad vs. Rajasthan, Match 5
• Venue: Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune
• Date & Time: Mar. 29, 2022, at 7:30 PM IST

Hyderabad vs Rajasthan Probably Playing XIs

Team Hyderabad

R. Tripathi, A. Sharma, K. Williamson (C), N. Pooran (WK), A. Markram, A. Samad, W. Sundar, M. Jansen, B. Kumar, T. Natarajan, U. Malik

Team Rajasthan

Y. Jaiswal, J. Buttler, D. Padikkal, S. Samson (C & WK), S. Hetmyer, R. Parag, R. Ashwin, N. Coulter-Nile, Y. Chahal, T. Boult, P. Krishna

Head-to-head Record

Weather Report

With summer having set in in Pune, the temperature will still be hovering around 30C when play starts.

Pitch Report

This stadium has hosted just one T20 in the past 4 years. If you look at the historic data, the average score batting first in the past 14 matches is 170 runs. Spinners have tended to have a much bigger influence on games here, even under lights. With shorter boundaries, pace bowlers have tended to struggle. 

Toss

Again, with no recent data to go in, the temptation will be for teams to bowl first. As it is, 9 of the past 14 games here were won by the chasing side. 

Top Fantasy Picks

Team Hyderabad

• K. Williamson took over the captaincy from D. Warner midway through the last campaign, but with Warner and R. Khan now gone, the pressure will be on Williamson to have a big season, much like 2018 when he topped the run charts with 735 runs.  
• M. Jansen may only have played  2 Indian T20 League games, but he comes into the tournament full of confidence after taking 28 wickets in his first 5 Tests, including a starring role in South Africa’s 2-1 defeat of India. His height, pace and yorkers will make him a tricky bowler to negotiate on any surface.
• U. Malik was Hyderabad’s surprise retention before the mega auction, especially considering they let R. Khan go. He took just 2 wickets in 3 matches last season, but impressed anyone who watched with his raw pace, nudging the speed gun to 153 km/hr. Hyderabad will need accuracy as well though if he’s to get an extended run in the side.

Team Rajasthan

• S. Samson is one of a handful of players with 3 centuries in the Indian T20 League. His problem has always been consistency. He seemed to find that last season, with 484 runs at a strike rate of 136.72. Rewarded with the captaincy, Samson will very much need to lead from the front if Rajasthan are to make the play-offs for the first time in 4 years.  
• J. Buttler has a strike rate of 150 in the Indian T20 League, with his best season coming in 2018, when he smashed 548 runs, including 5 fifties. He made his only century, a thrilling 124, last season before missing the second leg, and Rajasthan will expect much from the World Cup winner in their ranks. 
• R. Ashwin has been a bit of a wanderer since leaving the Chennai team where his performances opened the door to the Indian side. After stints with Punjab and Delhi, he now joins Y. Chahal as Rajasthan hope to have a spin duo capable of troubling the best. Ashwin hasn’t taken more than 15 wickets in a season since 2014, and Rajasthan will need more than just economical spells from him. 

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: S. Samson, N. Pooran, J. Buttler
• Batters: K. Williamson, D. Padikkal, R. Tripathi
• All-rounder: W. Sundar
• Bowlers:  T. Boult, R. Ashwin, M. Jansen, B. Kumar

• Captain: J. Buttler/T. Boult
• Vice Captain: K. Williamson/M. Jansen

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own team from today’s fantasy cricket match prediction and play all the fantasy cricket upcoming matches of the Indian T20 League 2022. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!