Rajasthan Royals hold edge against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Up against an outfit that is struggling to stay afloat, fancied Rajasthan Royals will look to consolidate their position in the pecking order when they lock horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the ongoing seventh Indian Premier League (IPL) here tomorrow.

Rajasthan Royals staged a dramatic fightback to down Kolkata Knight Riders by 10 runs in their last match, while Sunrisers Hyderabad were overshadowed by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Led by inspiring Australian all-rounder Shane Watson, Rajasthan are placed third in the points table with five wins and two reverses, while the Southern team is struggling to keep their chances alive in the competition having already suffered four defeats in six games to be placed seventh in the eight-team cash-rich tournament.

Watson has always been the key man in the RR set-up and it will be no different this time around. The Aussie, who struck a 20-ball 31 to go with his 3/21 with the ball, will look to do better with the willow at the Sardar Patel Stadium in Motera.

Young Karun Nair has shown promise at the top of the order and RR can expect a lot from him. Ajinkya Rahane has been fairly consistent and he would look to continue in same vein.

For the opposition bowlers, there is also the talented Sanju Samson and Steven Smith. It may be noted that their top four batsmen made significant contributions in the come-from-behind win over KKR.

42-year-old leg-spinner Pravin Tambe continues to catch attention with his impressive performance, the last coming against KKR.

Even with the ball, Watson always wants to there at the thick of things. Tim Southee and James Faulkner are the other two specialist bowlers for Rajasthan.

Their bowlers showed a lot of character when they stopped KKR, who were at one stage cruising along at 121 for one, to reducing them to 123 for six and eventually running away with the game.