IPL 2020: Sunrisers Hyderabad and their most underrated rivalries | Cricket News
While the individual performances sure have evolved with time, the team rivalries have done their part as well. While the top rivalries of the league such as MI-CSK or MI-RCB or CSK-RCB don’t need any introduction, there are many underrated rivalries who slowly yet steadily, deliver time and again. Most of them include the likes of Sunrisers Hyderabad. We have prepared a list of the 5-most underrated rivalries in that IPL that involve SRH.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Kolkata Knight Riders
One might assume that this one is a one-sided rivalry with the Knight Riders from Kolkata holding the advantage. Well, it is true but that does not downplay the intensity of these battles. The matches between Hyderabad and Kolkata have always been close with a few exceptions and these two teams have met in the playoffs twice, up until now.
2017 was the first instance when these two teams met in the eliminator. Sunrisers lost the game, which was reduced to 5 overs with the legendary commentator, Sunil Gavaskar hailing the match and its outcome as “ridiculous”, simply because the game was extended post 12 AM.
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The second such instance when these two teams met in the playoffs was in 2018. Batting first, Sunrisers lost their way and were set to fall well short of a winning total. Now walked out a certain Rashid Khan. What followed next was pure carnage as the Afghan gem blasted his way to a 10-ball 34 run cameo, which propelled his side to 174. With the ball, he took the much-needed scalps of Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell.
The current head-to-head between the two teams is 7-10 with the advantage in favour of Kolkata. One of the lesser rated rivalries; it has its own magic.
Most runs: David Warner – 532 runs
Most wickets: Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 19 wickets
Most catches: Rashid Khan (9)
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Mumbai Indians
Sunrisers have featured in a super over thrice, till date. One of them came at the Wankhede against Mumbai Indians. Last season, in the second leg against Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers were playing without the services of their best batters in David Warner and Jonny Bairstow. Chasing 163 in the second leg last season,
Sunrisers Hyderabad tied the game to enter the super over. A last-ball six off the willow of Manish Pandey was required to see off the Hyderabad-based outfit to the super over. SRH did lose the super over against MI but it was a game that would go down in the heart of every SRH-MI fan.
If SRH fans dislike Mumbai Indians it will be solely because Mumbai Indians once managed to knock SRH out of the reckoning for a top 4 finish in a must-win game for both the teams. This happened in 2015 but it was enough to sow the deep-rooted seeds of rivalry. This rivalry has had everything, ranging from Bhuvneshwar’s knuckleballs to Pollard’s big sixes.
The current head-to-head record is 7-7 with both the teams not willing to let their opposition slip away.
Most runs: David Warner – 343 runs
Most wickets: Bhuvneshwar Kumar – 16 wickets
Most catches: Kieron Pollard (10)
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings
Also known as the Southern Derby, this rivalry has been largely dominated by Chennai Super Kings but there is enough to play for, every time these two teams meet. These two teams have had numerous close run-ins with each other in the past and have delivered a very exciting brand of cricket.
The head-to-head record is solely Chennai’s and there is no doubt about it. However, the matches are closer than what the numbers might suggest. The current record is 3-9 in the favour of the Chennai-based outfit. Perhaps, the most defining moment of this contest came in 2018, the comeback year of CSK.
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Sunrisers and Chennai Super Kings met 4 times in that season, including once in the final and once in the Qualifier 1. Sunrisers managed to end up on the losing side on all four occasions, including in a final where they were bossing for the first half of the second innings. This rivalry has seen everything with Dhoni being the dreaded finisher for SRH fans.
Most runs: Suresh Raina – 415 runs ( not playing this year), MS Dhoni (331 runs)
Most wickets: Dwayne Bravo – 15 wickets
Most catches: Ravindra Jadeja (6)
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore
Perhaps one of the most intense rivalries, these two teams were the finalists of the 2016 edition and boy, the final was one of the closest games that one will ever witness. That match had a Chris Gayle blitz and a Kohli half-century to end a season that Kohli himself will never forget. The Indian stalwart registered a massive 973-run tally that season and it is a feat that is unlikely to be repeated, ever again.
Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB have been part of a super over as well and numerous other close games with the likes of Virat Kohli, David Warner, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and AB de Villiers being the consistent performers.
Also Read: Sunrisers Hyderabad have the best death bowling: David Warner
The current head-to-head tally is 8-6 in favour of Hyderabad and with both the teams set to face each other in their tournament opener, who is going to come out on top this time?
Will SRH hold on to their lead or will RCB make their stronghold tighter?
Most runs: David Warner – 562 runs
Most wickets: Bhuvneswar Kumar – 14 wickets
Most catches: Virat Kohli (5)