Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their third match of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Sunday, April 8.
The Shikhar Dhawan-led Punjab Kings have won both their matches in IPL 2023 so far. The Kings started their IPL 2023 campaign with a seven-run win (DLS method) over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Mohali, and later continued their winning momentum by defeating Rajasthan Royals (RR) by five runs in a nail-biting encounter in Guwahati on Wednesday.
With four points from two matches, the PBKS outfit is currently placed fifth in the IPL 2023 standings.
On the other hand, Sunrisers Hyderabad will aim to return to winning ways after losing their opening two matches in the ongoing T20 tournament so far. SRH lost to RR by 72 runs in their first match of IPL 2023 in Hyderabad, and later suffered a five-wicket defeat against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in their first away fixture on Friday.
Having succumbed to defeats in both their matches, SRH are currently languishing at the bottom of the standings.
Meanwhile, let us look at some of the stats and numbers ahead of the clash between SRH and PBKS in Hyderabad on Sunday.
Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Punjab Kings head-to-head
Sunrisers Hyderabad and Punjab Kings have faced each other on 20 occasions in the IPL. SRH have dominated the fixture by registering 13 victories while PBKS have secured only seven wins so far.
Furthermore, SRH have won six of their seven matches against PBKS at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
| Competition | Total Matches | Won by SRH | Won by PBKS |
| Overall | 20 | 13 | 7 |
| At Venue | 7 | 6 | 1 |
In-Form PBKS Openers
Punjab Kings' dynamic openers Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh have been in scintillating form in the ongoing edition of the IPL. Both the openers smashed a fifty against Rajasthan Royals in their previous fixture on Wednesday. While Dhawan scored an unbeaten 86 off just 56 balls, young Prabhsimran registered his maiden IPL fifty off just 28 balls.
Interestingly, Dhawan is the third highest run-scorer in IPL since 2022, amassing 586 runs at an average of 45.1 and a strike rate of 127. He has the fourth best average among opening batters in the high-profile T20 tournament since 2022.
Best average as an opener in IPL since 2022 (Min: 10 innings)
| Player | Innings | Runs | Average | SR |
| Jos Buttler | 18 | 917 | 57.3 | 153 |
| David Warner | 14 | 525 | 47.7 | 143 |
| KL Rahul | 18 | 679 | 45.3 | 132 |
| Shikhar Dhawan | 16 | 586 | 45.1 | 127 |
| Quinton de Kock | 15 | 508 | 36.3 | 149 |
Skipper Dhawan's magnificent record in last five IPL seasons
Punjab Kings' newly-appointed captain Shikhar Dhawan has been one of the consistent batters in IPL since 2018, 2020 was his best season in the league.
| Season | Innings | Runs | Average | SR |
| 2018 | 16 | 497 | 38.2 | 137 |
| 2019 | 16 | 521 | 34.7 | 136 |
| 2020 | 17 | 618 | 44.1 | 145 |
| 2021 | 16 | 587 | 39.1 | 125 |
| 2022 | 14 | 460 | 38.3 | 123 |
| 2023 | 2 | 126 | 126 | 148 |
Jitesh shines in the middle-order for PBKS
PBKS' wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma has been in good form in T20s since 2022, and has stepped up for PBKS in the middle order in absence of last season’s star Liam Livingstone.
| Before 2022 | Since 2022 | |
| 51 | Innings | 22 |
| 1329 | Runs | 506 |
| 28.3 | Average | 36.1 |
| 142 | SR | 170 |
Umran Malik - Sunrisers' player to watch out for
Pacer Umran malik was the leading wicket-taker for SRH last year with 22 wickets in 14 matches. He has bagged 26 wickets in his IPL career, out of which majority have come against right-handed batters, but he has been more effective against left-handers in terms of economy and strike rate.
| Against Right-handed batters | Against Left-handed batters | |
| 19 | Innings | 17 |
| 16 | Wickets | 10 |
| 25.4 | Average | 18.9 |
| 9.6 | Economy | 8.0 |
| 15.9 | Strike Rate | 14.2 |
Kagiso Rabada to return for PBKS
Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada is expected to return to Punjab Kings' playing XI against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Sunday. Rabada is a wicket away from completing 100 IPL wickets. He could become the fastest bowler to reach 100 IPL wickets in terms of matches played. If he takes the field against SRH, this would be his 64th IPL match. He will surpass Lasith Malinga, who has achieved this feat in 70 matches. Since 2019, Rabada has been the standout bowler in the IPL as he has picked 93 wickets, which is the most by any bowler in this span.
Most wickets in IPL since 2019
| Player | Wickets |
| Kagiso Rabada | 93 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 89 |
| Mohammed Shami | 83 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 82 |
| Rashid Khan | 79 |
Some more stats to keep an eye on
• Shahrukh Khan is 3 fours away from 50 fours in T20s.
• Shahrukh is 5 sixes away from 50 sixes in T20s.
• Bhanuka Rajapaksa is 4 catches away from 50 catches in T20s.
• Arshdeep Singh is 5 wickets away from 50 wickets in IPL.
• Rahul Tripathi is 5 sixes away from 100 sixes in India in T20s.
• Aiden Markram is 1 six away from 100 sixes in T20s.
• Kagiso Rabada is 1 wicket away from 100 wickets in IPL.
• Harry Brook is 2 fours away from 200 fours in T20s.
• Aiden Markram is 1 four away from 250 fours in T20s.
