SRH Playing 11 vs Rajasthan Royals- IPL 2025, Match 2

Last year’s runners-up Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will be eyeing a winning start to their campaign in IPL 2025 when they take on Rajasthan Royals (RR). The match is scheduled for Sunday (March 23) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have one of the strongest squads in the IPL this season. They have managed to retain the likes of Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, and Nitish Reddy for this season and have further bolstered their squad by signing the likes of Ishan Kishan and Mohammed Shami.

The Hyderabad-based outfit was one of the most entertaining teams last season thanks to its ultra-aggressive approach with the bat. They will be eyeing a similar performance this season as well and will be keen to go all the way after finishing runners-up last season.

With Sunrisers Hyderabad looking to start their season with a win, we are taking a look at the SRH Playing 11 for their game against RR.

SRH Playing 11 vs Rajasthan Royals- IPL 2025, Match 2:

Openers: Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma are set to be the openers in the SRH Playing 11. They were undoubtedly the most destructive openers in the IPL last season and will look to replicate their performance once again. Head and Sharma’s performance at the top of the order was one of the main reasons behind SRH’s march to the final in IPL 2024.

Sharma scored 484 runs at a strike rate of more than 200. After his IPL success, he also impressed for India in T20Is and will look to further enhance his reputation this season.

Head, on the other hand, has been one of the best openers in the world for quite some time now and he will be keen to deliver with the bat again. Last season, he smashed 567 runs in 15 matches with four fifties and a century.

Middle-order Batsmen and All-Rounders: Ishan Kishan, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Abhinav Manohar, Wiaan Mulder

Sunrisers Hyderabad have further bolstered their lineup by adding Ishan Kishan to their squad. The wicketkeeper-batsman has endured a tough time in recent months and will be desperate to revive his career. He lost his BCCI central contract last year and also failed to make it to the India squad for the T20 World Cup.

Kishan is one of the best wicketkeeper-batsmen in the country and will be eyeing a good outing in his maiden season with Sunrisers Hyderabad. So far, he has scored 2,644 runs in 105 IPL matches, including 16 fifties.

SRH have also retained the services of Nitish Reddy and Heinrich Klaasen for this season. The presence of Reddy and Klaasen makes SRH’s middle-order one of the most formidable ones this season. Reddy took the cricketing world by storm last year. After impressing in the IPL, he went on to make his debut for Team India in T20Is as well as ODIs.

In his first IPL season, Reddy scored 303 runs in 15 games in addition to taking 3 wickets. Klaasen, on the other hand, is one of the best white-ball batsmen in the world. Last year, he scored 479 runs at a strike rate of over 170 and will be looking to deliver with the bat once again.

The other middle-order options in the SRH Playing 11 are Abhinav Manohar and Wiaan Mulder. Manohar has a reputation for scoring quickly and has the ability to play match-winning cameos every now and then.

Mulder, on the other hand, replaced injured Brydon Carse for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season and will look to make an instant impact. A talented allrounder, Mulder has played 11 T20Is so far, scoring 105 runs and picking up eight wickets.

Bowlers: Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Shami, Rahul Chahar

SRH also have a very formidable bowling attack for IPL 2025. Their talismanic captain Pat Cummins is set to lead the pace attack with Harshal Patel and Mohammed Shami being the other pacers.

Harshal was the highest wicket-taker last season and will be keen to enjoy another good season. Rahul Chahar is expected to be the sole frontline spinner in the SRH Playing 11.