IPL 2019: Warner-Bairstow's sensational opening stands and 4 other things to watch out for as Kings XI Punjab lock horns with Sunrises Hyderabad

Kings XI Punjab will be hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IS Bindra Stadium on Monday. Both teams will be eager to get back to winning ways after having lost their previous away fixtures. Punjab were handed a 22-run defeat by defending champions Chennai Super Kings on Saturday while Sunrisers Hyderabad were given a reality check by Mumbai Indians who got the better of them by 40 runs on the same day.

Here's a look at some of the factors which will make this is a must-watch clash.

1.Warner-Bairstow's opening partnership: David Warner and Jonny Bairstow have helped in laying a strong foundation in SRH's batting. The duo have stitched in three consecutive 100 run opening partnerships. They could not repeat the same heroics on Saturday where they were set a target of 137. Warner and Bairstow helped SRH get off to a good start with a 33 run opening stand. However, once both of them were dismissed early, Hyderabad's middle and lower middle order struggled against the pace of Alzarri Joseph who took an all time best IPL figures of 6-12 as the Órange Army'were bundled out for meagre 96.

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2. Can Ashwin continue his impressive run?: Kings XI Punjab skipper Ravichandran Ashwin has been performing well with the ball since the last couple of games. The veteran off-spinner was excellent in the last game against CSK where he had scalped three big wickets of Chennai's Top 3 - Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis and Suresh Raina. He finished his spell with the figures of 3-23 in his four overs at an economy of 5.75. 

3. Head-to-head records: SRH are dominant in the overall head-to-head records. In the 12 matches that have been played between both the sides Hyderabad have won on nine occasions while Punjab have only managed three wins. SRH also have a 4-1 lead over Punjab in the five matches that have been played at Mohali.

4. Can KL Rahul get Punjab off to a good start?: Rahul has played a crucial role in anchoring Punjab's run chase on two occasions. He has so far amassed 146 runs in five games at a strike rate of 117.74 which includes two half-centuries.

5. The Afghan flavour: The Afghan duo of Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi will once again be expected to put up a stellar performance against Punjab. The two have been working in tandem since the last couple of games to provide breakthroughs for SRH at regular intervals.

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