Match: Team Hyderabad vs Team Rajasthan, (HYD vs RAJ, Match 4)

Date: April 2, 2023 – 3:30 PM IST

Venue: Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Uppal, Hyderabad

A blockbuster Sunday awaits us with another doubleheader in the Indian T20 League 2023 lined up. It will be Team Hyderabad taking on Team Rajasthan in the fourth match of the season at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday afternoon.

As you know there are two virtual groups of five teams each. Each team will face the five teams from the opposite group on two occasions and the four teams from their own group once. In the end, the top four teams from the combined points table head to the playoffs. 

Team Rajasthan comprise Group A alongside the franchises from Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Lucknow. Team Hyderabad are part of Group B alongside Chennai, Gujarat, Bangalore and Punjab.

Team Hyderabad were crowned the winners in the 2016 season and were very consistent. But they have had a couple of bad years and will be looking to get back at the front row. Last season, they finished eighth on the table with only six victories out of 14 games. 

Team Rajasthan, who won the inaugural edition in 2008, reached their first final last year since their title-winning campaign. They finished second on the table in 2022 with nine wins in the group stage. They then lost to Gujarat in the Qualifier 1 before hammering Bangalore in the Qualifier 2 to reach the final. Rajasthan lost to Gujarat yet again in the final by seven wickets. 

Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for HYD vs RAJ, Match 4

Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium is a venue where the pitches are usually on the slower side. Spinners get assistance here and run-scoring gets difficult as the innings progresses. The average first innings score at the venue from 23 matches since 2017 stands at 163. 

The weather in Hyderabad should be typically hot on Sunday afternoon. The temperature will hover around mid 30 degree Celsius in the afternoon. 

Team Hyderabad – Expected XI and Team News 

Team Hyderabad will be without their captain Aiden Markram and his fellow South Africans Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen in this game due to international duties. Glenn Phillips, Harry Brook, Akeal Hosein and Adil Rashid are likely to be the four overseas players in this fixture. 

Probable XI – Abhishek Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips (wk), Harry Brook, Akeal Hosein, Washington Sundar, Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan

Team Rajasthan – Expected XI and Team News 

Team Rajasthan have brought in Jason Holder for this season. Their key pacer Prasidh Krishna was ruled out of the season with an injury. Trent Boult, Holder and Kuldeep Sen are likely to form the pace attack. They have Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal as the spin duo with Adam Zampa on the bench.

Probable XI – Jos Buttler (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen

Head to Head record of HYD vs RAJ 

Total Encounters – 16

Team Hyderabad won – 8

Team Rajasthan won – 8

Team Rajasthan lead the last five encounters by 3-2.

Best Captaincy Picks for the HYD vs RAJ match

Jos Buttler: Wicket-keeper Batter, Team Rajasthan 

Jos Buttler is arguably the best white-ball batter in the world. He had a ridiculous season in the Indian T20 League last year, where he amassed 863 runs at an average of 57 while striking at 149. In overall T20 cricket, Buttler averages 45 and strikes at 145 as an opener. He’s a top captaincy pick. 

Mayank Agarwal: Batter, Team Hyderabad  

Mayank Agarwal is one of the best Indian batters. He didn’t have a great season last year but has the ability to turn things around. He has scored over 1000 runs in the league since 2020 at an average of 31 and strike rate of 142. He can be a good C/VC option.

Yuzvendra Chahal: Bowler, Team Rajasthan  

The leg-spinner is one of the most prolific bowlers in T20 cricket. Yuzvendra Chahal has 166 wickets in the league’s history at an economy of 7.60 and strike rate of 17.2. He was the top wicket-taker last year with 27 wickets. Chahal is a solid C/VC option for this fixture.

Top Differential Picks 

Washington Sundar: All-rounder, Team Hyderabad

Washington Sundar has improved his batting significantly and has always been a reliable bowler. He will play a key role for Hyderabad in this game. Sundar is picked by only 25% of the fantasy players for this game and could be a good differential.

Abhishek Sharma: Batter, Team Hyderabad  

Abhishek Sharma was outstanding for Hyderabad in the previous edition. Opening the innings, he top scored for them with 426 runs at an average of 30 and strike rate of 133. Abhishek is picked by only 11% of the MPL teams and can be a great differential.

MPL Fantasy XI 

Where and what time to watch the match live in India 

Star Sports Network has acquired the television rights of the Indian T20 League 2023 while Viacom 18 have bagged the digital rights. You can watch the matches on Star Sports channels or stream online on Jio Cinema. 

Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.