Eliminated outfits seek solace in dead rubber

The overview By the time the league phase gets over on Sunday night (May 22), Sunrisers Hyderabad or Punjab Kings would have finished with 14 points. One of those two sides will be left to rue their losses this season considering the fact that one more victory would have made them a serious playoffs contender. It's been that sort of a season for both these outfits. They have had their moments where they have looked like world-beaters but they have also looked absolutely ordinary on other occasions. While PBKS have followed up every victory of theirs with a loss, SRH's case has been very curious. They lost their first two, won their next five to turn their fortunes around before losing the next five in stunning fashion. They did beat Mumbai Indians in their previous game but with the other results not going in their favour, they were knocked out. What can these two sides look forward to now knowing it's a dead rubber? Can wholesale changes keeping the future in mind pay dividends considering it's just one game? Probably not. But getting a look at some of these fringe players is still vital. For instance, Glenn Phillips hasn't featured for SRH this season. No one hit more sixes than the New Zealander in 2021 but he has been warming the bench this season despite Kane Williamson's woeful form. But now with Williamson not available, Phillips is all set to be given a go. If he does impress, the SRH management will be tempted to review their decision to shell 14 Cr on Williamson. Romario Shepherd has been nowhere in the picture after the first two games. Given they spent big to acquire his services, it won't hurt SRH to hand him another opportunity. The same goes for PBKS as well. Shahrukh Khan has failed to replicate his domestic form and finds himself on the sidelines whereas Ishan Porel has just not been able to break into the XI. Benny Howell is the only overseas player on the roster to not feature yet. While his form has quietly slipped under the radar, Mayank Agarwal has not been amongst the runs. His captaincy has found a few admirers but Mayank knows that he needs runs. He also needs to first figure out his best batting position in this XI. PBKS may have flattered to deceive yet again but they would dearly love to end the season on a high. When: Sunday, May 22 at 7:30 PM IST Where: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai What to expect: SRH's last game at the Wankhede was a high-scoring one but the pitches have not been very conducive to batting at this venue at the back end of the tournament. Head to head: SRH 13 - 6 PBKS Team Watch Sunrisers Hyderabad Tactics and matchups: With Jonny Bairstow also finding form, this could turn out to be a fascinating contest between SRH's bowling attack and PBKS' flamboyant batting lineup. But with just one spinner in their XI, SRH might not be able to make the most of the deteriorating wickets. Liam Livingstone hurt them the last time they met. Perhaps, using someone like T Natarajan smartly against the rampaging Englishman might work out. Probable XI: Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Glenn Phillips, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd/Sean Abbott, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (C), T Natarajan, Umran Malik Punjab Kings Tactics and matchups: PBKS' like to go all guns blazing. That high-risk approach might backfire heavily against this bowling unit if they lose early wickets. The last time these two teams met, the loss of early wickets left the lower order exposed against the pace of Umran Malik and the youngster just broke through them to fetch four wickets. Kagiso Rabada has a favourable matchup against SRH's finishers Nicholas Pooran and Washington Sundar, having dismissed them five times in the space of 42 deliveries. Probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Benny Howell, Shahrukh Khan/Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan/Ishan Porel, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh Did you know? Amongst all full-time captains this season, only two have an average less than 20. Mayank averages just 17.73 whereas Williamson ended his campaign with an average of 19.64. Only Jasprit Bumrah has had a better economy rate than Arshdeep Singh (7.95) this season at the death.