IPL 2021, PBKS vs SRH: Chris Gayle returns for Punjab Kings, Warner retains spot for SRH

Bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad take on Punjab Kings for the second time in IPL 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Ground. The last time these two sides met was at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, where Sunrisers Hyderabad won the match by nine wickets.

So far, Sunrisers Hyderabad have lost seven of their eight games. After some bad strings of performances in the first leg, they brought in a change to their captaincy. However, that change has had no effect on their performance as they now have to win all their remaining matches to have a chance of qualifying for the play-offs. Their batsmen have disappointed so far but they will look to change their fortunes as the Sharjah Ground usually assists batters very well.

Punjab Kings have had a similar season as the Sunrisers, as they have lost six matches and are placed just above the opposition. Their defeat to Rajasthan Royals by two runs will haunt them for a long time but they will look for a turnaround with the return of Chris Gayle, who will look to get some big runs, as Kings look to get a positive result in their milestone 200th match.

IPL 2021: PBKS vs SRH news

Sunrisers Hyderabad won the toss and decided to bowl first. Kane Williamson said his decision to bowl first was due to the fact that the boundaries at the Sharjah Cricket Ground are small. With dew expected in the latter half of the innings, bowlers will have a difficult time. There is no change in the Sunrisers’ squad. On the other hand, the Punjab King have made three changes to the playing XI with Nathan Ellis, Chris Gayle and Ravi Bishnoi replacing Fabian Allen, Ishan Porel and Adil Rashid.

IPL 2021: PBKS vs SRH playing 11

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul (wk/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis

Sunrisers Hyderabad: David Warner, Wriddhiman Saha(wk), Kane Williamson (c), Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed

Image: PTI