Sunrisers in a do-or-die battle

Sunrisers Hyderabad will clash against Brisbane Heat in a make-or-break Champions League Twenty20 match here on Monday, the outcome of which will decide if the Shikhar Dhawan-led Indian outfit can still be in the race for a semifinal spot. 

Sunrisers would have to win this match by a huge margin if they are to stand any chance of qualifying for the last-four stage, provided Trinidad and Tobago win against Titans and then lose to Chennai Super Kings in their last group match.

Heat, on the other hand, are already out of contention with not a single win from three matches.

With one win and two defeats, Sunrisers are also staring down the barrel with only four points from three matches and a net run-rate of -0.622.

They started their campaign after qualifying for the main draw of the Champions League with a spirited performance against Trinidad and Tobago in their tournament-opener before losing the plot against CSK and Titans.

Sunrisers suffered a crushing eight-wicket defeat against the South African side Titans in Ranchi on Saturday.

Sunrisers’ bowling department, which was known to be one of their biggest strengths, has let them down heavily with the likes of Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma and leg-spinner Amit Mishra failing to fire in unison. 

Mishra has only been able to pick up one wicket so far while the pacers have leaked runs with the only exception of Steyn. Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera went for 60 runs in his three overs against CSK.