'They also have Markram, Pooran': RR star predicts SRH's opening pair ahead of clash against Williamson's side in IPL
Rajasthan Royals will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening game of the 2022 Indian Premier League.
Sunrisers Hyderabad had finished at the bottom of the table in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The side endured concerns both on and off-the-field – David Warner, who was the captain of the side going into the 2021 edition, fell out with the team management and eventually lost his place in the XI, with Kane Williamson being named the new skipper of the franchise.
Following the end of the tournament, Warner was released. In the IPL mega auction, the Sunrisers finished with 23 players in their roster and while the side has a fairly new squad composition, they also placed their faith in a select number of players who had been the part of the group last season.
However, with no Warner in the opening slot anymore, the SRH will be entering the tournament with a new pair this year. Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who is expected to take the field for Rajasthan Royals in their opening game against the Sunrisers, talked in detail about his opponents' vacant spot in the opening order.
“I don’t think they will open with Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi. I think they’ll open with Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson. Because they also have Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran. So, I feel they’ll play both of them,” Ashwin said on his official YouTube channel as he previewed SRH.
“And so, if they wanna play both of them, I don’t know whether Aiden Markram will bat at 4 or 5. But I don’t know for sure. Anyway, our first game is going to be with them. I don’t know with which team they’ll go with.”
Ashwin funnily added that SRH might as well change their batting combination if they see his preview. “.. they might see our preview show and change their combination, we’ll never know!” said the off-spinner.
Ashwin was bought by the Rajasthan Royals for INR 5 crore in the mega auction.
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