Mullanpur (Punjab) [India], May 27 : Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) dependable number three batter Ishan Kishan will be aiming to continue his fine record in T20 knockout matches as his side locks horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Mullanpur.
RR and SRH will be fighting for a spot in Qualifier two against the Gujarat Titans (GT), with the winner advancing to face defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the final. For the Men in Orange, Ishan's dual role as aggressor and anchor at the top will be crucial.
Statistically, Ishan is enjoying his best IPL season ever, with 569 runs in 14 innings at an average of 40.64 and a strike rate of 178.37, including six fifties, with a highest score of 91. He is currently the seventh-highest run-scorer of the season.
In IPL playoffs, Ishan has so far scored 154 runs in six matches and five innings at an average of 51.33 and a strike rate of 130.5, with one fifty. His best score is 55*.
However, Ishan's record in T20 knockout stages has undergone a major glow-up following a historic Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy-winning campaign last year for Jharkhand as a captain and then a T20 World Cup-winning title for India just months later.
Now overall in T20 knockout matches, Ishan has scored 348 runs in nine matches and eight innings at an average of 58.00 and a strike rate of 165.71, with a century and two fifties. His best score is 101, a ton for Jharkhand in the SMAT final. In his last T20 knockout stage appearance, he hit a title-sealing 54 for India in the T20 World Cup final against New Zealand.
Will the 'pocket dynamo' of SRH make the best of this recent momentum and play another gem of a knock?
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Donovan Ferreira, Shubham Dubey, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma, Ravindra Jadeja, Sushant Mishra, Aman Rao Perala, Ravi Bishnoi, Tushar Deshpande, Adam Milne, Sandeep Sharma, Shimron Hetmyer, Kuldeep Sen, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kwena Maphaka, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Emanjot Singh Chahal, Vignesh Puthur
Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Praful Hinge, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Gerald Coetzee, Dilshan Madushanka, Krains Fuletra, Onkar Tarmale, RS Ambrish, Amit Kumar.