The second qualifier match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals will be played at the Chepauk Stadium in Chennai this evening. The team that wins this match between Hyderabad and Rajasthan will enter the final, where they will face Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, May 26. In Qualifier 2 of IPL 2024 to be held today, the Chepauk ground could present a big challenge to both the teams, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals.
What does history say?
Statistically, the performance of both the teams in Chepauk has been disappointing. Sunrisers Hyderabad have won only 1 match in their last 10 matches. On the other hand, the performance of Rajasthan Royals is also disappointing. They have won 2 of the last 9 matches. Sunrisers Hyderabad’s struggles at the Chepauk ground are not hidden from the public. The Chepauk pitch has always troubled this team. There could be many reasons behind it as Sunrisers Hyderabad is known for its fast bowling attack, but Chepauk’s slow and spin friendly pitch reduces their speed and aggression. Apart from this, favorable conditions for spin bowling pose a big problem for Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Any batsman faces a lot of difficulty in reading and handling slow spin balls on the Chepauk pitch and how the Chepauk pitch behaves this season is an incredible puzzle. The back-to-back defeats in Chennai will definitely put pressure on the Hyderabad players. In such a scenario, it will be a mental challenge for the team to forget its past performances and play with renewed vigor today. However, a team’s poor performance in the playoffs can put the team under pressure.
If we talk about Hyderabad’s playoff statistics, the team has played a total of 12 matches, in which the team has lost seven and won five. Hyderabad last qualified for the playoffs in the year 2020. Where they lost to Delhi Capitals in the second qualifier.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals, playing against them today, also faced no less difficulties on this pitch. Rajasthan Royals’ performance in Chepauk last season was very poor. He won only 1 out of 3 matches. Rajasthan is afraid of repeating the same history this time too. Apart from this, despite the excellent performance of the top order batsmen, the Rajasthan team could not show consistency in batting in the middle and lower order.