Hello and welcome to Sportstar’s LIVE coverage of the Rajasthan Royals vs Sunrisers Hyderabad IPL 2022 match from the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.

LIVE COMMENTARY

Ashwin will continue. On the money to Samad and he defends back to the bowler. He taps the next one to point and hares for one. A direct hit at the striker’s end but Markram’s dive is enough to see him home comfortably. Full outside off and Markram drives straight to cover.

SRH 32/4 in 9 overs: Chahal from the other end. On the stump first ball and Markram guides to gully for one. OUT! Abhishek steps out and holes out at long on. Abhishek Sharma c Shimron Hetmyer b Yuzvendra Chahal 9(19b 1×4 0x6). Abdul Samad comes in at six. Chahal gets it to turn into him and he punches off the backfoot and through mid wicket for one. Two more singles to end the over.

SRH 28/3 in 8 overs: Ashwin into the attack. Markram starts off with a single on the leg side. Abhishek pushes to long off for one more. Slightly short, Markram moves away to slap it on off but straight to extra cover. FOUR! Full-toss and Abhishek thumps it down the ground. Parag fumbles running in from long off and a boundary for Abhishek.

SRH 21/3 in 7 overs: Coulter-Nile into the attack. Length on leg and Abhishek flicks to square leg and steals a single. Two dots as Coulter-Nile moves the ball around in the channel. Down leg side and called wide. Good save by Samson behind the stumps. FOUR! Length outside off and Markram pulls this one over mid wicket and to the fence. It didn’t go off the middle of the bat but enough power behind it. Sharp away movement last ball and it goes off the splice and to point for one.

SRH 14/3 in 6 overs: Down leg side, Abhishek misses the flick and Samson appeals half-heartedly for caught behind. It brushed off the pad because it is not called wide. Four more dot balls follow. Abhishek finally gets a single with a dab to third man. Dot to end the PowerPlay as extra bounce beats Markram outside off.

SRH 13/3 in 5 overs: Boult continues. Full on the pads to Abhishek and he flicks it away to fine for one. Pooran is clueless in the channel area from the over the wicket angle too and swings and misses off two consecutive balls. This one is angling down leg and called wide. Heave outside off and missed again. OUT! Pooran is gone. It moves in from a leg stump line and raps him straight in front. Nicholas Pooran lbw b Trent Boult 0(8b 0x4 0x6). FOUR! Markram starts off with a four as the ball runs away through mid wicket off the inside half of the bat.

SRH 7/2 in 4 overs: OUT! Prasidh nibbles it away a bit from fourth stump line with some extra bounce and Tripathi edges behind to the keeper trying to cut it. Rahul Tripathi c Sanju Samson b Prasidh Krishna 0(3b 0x4 0x6). Pooran is in and is beaten first ball with one that nips in from outside off. The angle from across has Pooran feeling uncomfortable in the channel on the off. Five dots to end the over and a wicket maiden for Prasidh.

SRH 7/1 in 3 overs: Boult continues. Swing straightaway as he moves it away from Abhishek, who swings and misses outside off. Two fuller ones on the stumps and Abhishek defends. Boult then moves it away from a length outside off and Abhishek misses again. FOUR LEG-BYES! Strays down leg side and Abhishek misses the attempted flick and it goes off the pads and to the boundary. Beaten! Beaten with the in-swinger this time.

SRH 3/1 in 2 overs: Prasidh Krishna from the other end. Crisp line and length first ball to Abhishek and he drives straight to cover. Short and angling across; Abhishek cannot encash on the width and misses the cut outside off. Single behind the keeper. OUT! Williamson edges behind, Samson fumbles and first slip dives in to cover up for the skipper. Umpire wants to check if it was pouched safely. Third umpire confirms it is out. Kane Williamson c Devdutt Padikkal b Prasidh Krishna 2(7b 0x4 0x6). Rahul Tripathi is in at number three. Tripathi steps out and Prasidh drags his length back in response and it blazes past the batter’s head.

SRH 2/0 in 1 over: Trent Boult has the new ball. Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson to open the innings for SRH. Loud LBW appeal first ball and turned down. Boult nipped it into Williamson from a length and rapped him high on the pad. Beaten! This one goes with the angle from across and misses Williamson’s poke outside off. Tucked away to square leg for a couple. Beaten! Angling across to Williamson and he is beaten again outside off. Fuller and straighter on middle and Williamson defends with his foot forward. Boult beats Williamson again outside off to end the over.

Back for the run-chase.  A huge task ahead for Sunrisers, who will need to score a mammoth 211 against the likes of Boult, Ashwin and Chahal.

RAJASTHAN ROYALS 210/6 IN 20 OVERS

SIX! Hetmyer shuffles across and ramps this one over fine leg for another six. OUT! Pinpoint yorker on the stumps, Hetmyer misses and Natarajan hits. Shimron Hetmyer b T Natarajan 32(13b 2×4 3×6).  Coulter-Nile is in at seven. Just one. Yorker on the pads to Parag and he just manages a single. One more for Coulter-Nile next ball. Parag to face the last ball. Strays down leg and Parag edges behind. OUT! Riyan Parag c Nicholas Pooran b T Natarajan 12(9b 2×4 0x6).

RR 203/4 in 19 overs: Bhuvneshwar bowls out. Single at square leg for Hetmyer. Width and room outside off and Parag slaps this to sweeper cover for two runs. SIX! Decked in short outside off and Hetmyer swats it over long off for six. SIX! Two in two for Hetmyer as he clubs this length ball over deep mid wicket. Wide yorker next up and he jams his bat at it and finds cover. Wide yorker outside off again and he steers it for a single at deep point.

RR 188/4 in 18 overs: Natarajan with the ball. Hetmyer starts off with one. FOUR! Low full-toss and Parag squeezes it between the gap at deep mid wicket to fetch a boundary. SIX! Another low full-toss and Hetmyer kneels on one knee and sweeps it over mid wicket for six. Wide! Too far out on off side. FOUR! Pitched too full and and Hetmyer drives through the covers and Washinton fumbles in the deep to let it through. Single to end the over.

RR 170/4 in 17 overs: OUT! Bhuvneshwar returns and strikes first ball. Cramped Samson for room as he went for the pull and found Abdul Samad at long on. Sanju Samson c Abdul Samad b Bhuvneshwar Kumar 55(27b 3×4 5×6). FOUR! Parag starts off with a boundary, piercing the off side field. Parag guides to third man for one. Caught behind appeal turned down and SRH reviews. Hetmyer looked to flap at a bouncer and missed. The review is lost as there was daylight between bat and ball. it’s called a wide for height. Hetmyer tucks away the next one to mid wicket for one. An in-swinger from Bhuvi has Parag in a tangle and there is another appeal for caught behind but turned down. They lose their second review in the same over after there is a clear gap between the wood and the leather.

RR 163/3 in 16 overs: Washington returns after going for 32 in his first two overs. Gets his line right this time and two dots to start the over. SIX! Samson clubs this full one over mid wicket and into stands. SIX! Short and this time Samson hangs back and pulls this over mid wicket again. That’s a 25-ball fifty for Samson. Hetmyer on strike. A couple to end the over and an over that started with promise for Washy ends up horribly.

RR 148/3 in 15 overs: FOUR! Malik bowls out. Short from round the wicket and Padikkal pulls it through mid wicket for another boundary. Good-looking straight drive to long on for one. FOUR! Length on leg stump and Samson puts it away to the square leg fence. This is now RR’s best partnership for the third wicket against Sunrisers Hyderabad. OUT! Last ball of the over from round the wicket and Umran Malik gets the ball through the defences of Padikkal with one that comes in with the angle. Devdutt Padikkal b Umran Malik 41(29b 4×4 2×6).

RR 138/2 in 14 overs: FOUR! Short from Shepherd and Padikkal drags this from outside off and punches through mid wicket for a boundary. SIX! Full in the slot and Padikkal stands and Padikkal drills it down the ground and over long-on. Tucked off his hips for a couple at fine leg. FOUR! Length and moving away down leg and Padikkal gets enough bat on the flick to collect a boundary at fine leg. Bunted for a single down the ground to end the over.

RR 121/2 in 13 overs: Umran back for his third over. Padikkal finds an outside edge that goes to third man for one. Swing and a miss outside off next ball. Padikkal moves outside leg stump and carves this straight one to third man for one more. A wide ball outside off and he will need to reload that one. Two leg-byes come off the next three balls as Umran’s pace and line just outside off keeps the batters quiet.

RR 114/2 in 12 overs: SIX! Padikkal stands and delivers, sending this back of length delivery with a pull over mid wicket. This one is a good bouncer and Padikkal ducks under it. Two singles. FOUR! Full and straight and Padikkal sends it racing to the long off boundary with a cracking straight drive. Flicked through mid wicket for one and Padikkal keeps strike.

RR 101/2 in 11 overs: SIX! Samson on the charge as he punishes another short one outside off from Washington. Goes back in his crease and creams it over mid wicket. Two singles follow. FOUR! Samson at his inventive best as he reverse-sweeps this outside off delivery to the third man boundary. Short again and Samson fetches two on the leg side. Cut away by Samson after backing outside leg but straight to point.

RR 87/2 in 10 overs: Shepherd continues. Full and straight and Padikkal flicks through the on-side for one. Length ball veering down leg and it misses Samson’s pull. A desperate appeal for caught behind but the umpire calls it wide. SIX! Another length ball that drifts down leg and Samson pulls it with force behind and clears the rope at fine leg. Pitched up on the leg and Samson drives through mid on for a single. Good bouncer by Shepherd from round the wicket and Padikkal ducks under it. One more short ball to end the over.

RR 78/2 in 9 overs: Umran returns and loud appeal first ball for caught behind. Umpire shakes his head and Williamson reviews it. OUT! There is a nick as UltraEdge confirms and Umran Malik has his revenge after a harrowing first over. Jos Buttler c Nicholas Pooran b Umran Malik 35(28b 3×4 3×6). Devdutt Padikkal is in at number four. Starts off with a stylish cut through cover and point for one. Samson returns with a single to fine leg. A vicious bouncer from round the wicket to Padikkal and the batter takes evasive action. Single to end the over.

RR 75/1 in 8 overs: Abhishek Sharma into the attack. Buttler takes a single off the first. Short and Samson slaps this to deep extra cover for a couple. FOUR! Short again and Samson rocks back and pulls this in the gap at deep mid wicket. Fuller this time and Samson digs this out for two at mid wicket. SIX! Short again and Samson lifts it over long off for another maximum.

RR 60/1 in 7 overs: OUT! Jaiswal goes for the heave and hands a catch at deep mid wicket and Romario Shepherd has his first IPL wicket. Yashasvi Jaiswal c Aiden Markram b Romario Shepherd 20(16b 2×4 1×6). Samson is in next. Two singles follow. Shepherd bowls a length ball on off stump and Samson tips toes and defends it back to the bowler. Another hard length on the stumps and flicked by Samson to mid on for a dot. Dug in short and Samson pulls out of the pull and leaves.

RR 58/0 in 6 overs: Natarajan into the attack but that doesn’t make any difference. FOUR! Jaiswal steps out first ball and flays this over point for a boundary. Slower one on a length and Jaiswal misses trying to swivel and pull. Next one is too high and called wide. Just one comes off the next four balls as Natarajan keeps it on a hard length outside off.

RR 52/0 in 5 overs: Washington Sundar now with the ball. No-ball. Spinner is in but the no-ball woes continue for SRH. Fourth one of the day. Just a single off the no-ball as Jaiswal flicks it on leg. Buttler hands a catch at long on on the free-hit and just one run. SIX! Jaiswal joins the carnage as he pummels this wide one from outside off over mid wicket to clear the ropes. Single next ball as Jaiswal tucks it behind. SIX! In the slot and Buttler plasters it straight down the ground. Two singles to end the over and 18 runs from it.

RR 34/0 in 4 overs: Umran Malik has the ball. FOUR! Buttler gets another thick outside edge on that 143 kmph delivery and it goes over point for a boundary. SIX! Cracking shot! Full on off and Buttler shuffles across outside off and ramps this quick one over the keeper for a maximum. FOUR! Extra bounce takes Buttler’s outside edge again and this goes through the fingers of first slip. No-ball again and Buttler would’t have been dismissed anyway. Full-toss but Buttler misses out on the free hit, smashing it straight to mid-off. Three dots follow as Umran finds his line and length a bit. SIX! Wide outside off and very short and Buttler hauls it over deep point for another six.

RR 13/0 in 3 overs: Bhuvneshwar continues. Length ball on leg and Jaiswal taps on the leg for one. Another outswinger and Buttler gets a thick edge that runs past a vacant slip and to third man for one. Seething bouncer to Jaiswal next ball and he misses the attempted pull. Third man is now up in the circle. The bouncer is followed by a stifling yorker. No-ball again! Full on the pads, Jaiswal shuffles across to off stump and whips the free-hit behind to fine leg for a boundary. Length outside off and Jaiswal leaves.

RR 6/0 in 2 overs: Romario Shepherd from the other end. Swing and a miss outside off first ball for Jaiswal. First run off the bat as Jaiswal runs it behind point for one. Buttler looks to play the ramp shot but doesn’t get bat on ball. FOUR! Full and straight and Buttler flicks through mid wicket for a boundary.

RR 1/0 in 1 over: A bit of away movement first ball and it beats Buttler’s outside edge. Moves away again from short of a length and Buttler shoulders arms. Beaten again! This time a bit fuller and nipped away from Buttler’s prod outside off. In-ducker next ball but wide outside off and Buttler is happy to leave. OUT! Buttler edges this time to first slip. Buttler survives as the buzzer goes off just as Buttler begins to walk back. Free-hit is in the blockhole and Buttler jams his bat into the ground and misses. Defended back to the bowler.

The umpires are walking out onto the green. Buttler and Jaiswal hop out onto the field. Bhuvneshwar with the ball. The countdown has ended and here we for live action.

Sanju Samson will be playing in his 100th IPL game for Rajasthan Royals today.

RR VS SRH PLAYING XI

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c) (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Kane Williamson (c), Nicholas Pooran (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik.

TOSS: Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl.

PITCH REPORT: A green and firm wicket at MCA and good purchase for the swing bowlers early on. The boundaries are 65m square of the wicket and 75m straight. Average first innings score is 159.  Also dew is unlikely to have much of a say today.

No prizes for guessing this new addition to the Royals camp.(Hint: Most IPL wickets)

The Royals will miss their captain today in their first match since the passing away of the legend.

18-30 IST: The toss is half an hour away. Stay tuned for live updates!

IPL matches at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune

Total matches: 38; Batting first won: 18; Batting second won: 20

Most expensive IPL 2022 auction buys

Rajasthan Royals: Prasidh Krishna (Rs. 10 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (Rs. 8.5 crore), Trent Boult (Rs. 8 crore).

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Nicholas Pooran (Rs. 10.75 crore), Washington Sundar (Rs. 8.75 crore), Rahul Tripathi (Rs. 8.5 crore).

How crucial will Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s pinpoint accuracy be for the Orange army today?

Stars from the fixture

Most runs: Sanju Samson (512), Ajinkya Rahane (347), Shikhar Dhawan (253)

Most wickets: James Faulkner (12), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10), Rashid Khan (9)

The last time Jos Buttler played in the IPL, he flayed the Orange Army with 64-ball 124 in Delhi. Can he wind the clocks back today?

MATCH PREVIEW

It will be the first Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 game outside the Mumbai metropolitan region. It will also be the last of the opening round games.

As Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals drive down the Mumbai-Pune Expressway en route the Maharashtra Cricket Association International Stadium on the outskirts of the education capital, both the teams will be hoping for a change of fortunes after a forgettable last season.

After occupying the last two slots in the points table in the 2021 edition, both the outfits preferred to alter its combination a great deal in the player auction.

Besides the addition of Devdutt Padikkal to its top order, Rajasthan Royals has created a bowling ensemble that could be as potent as any other T20 attack, not just in IPL but across the globe. With spin twins of R. Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal joining the pace combine of Trent Boult and promising Prasidh Krishna, despite the fifth bowling option likely to emerge as a slight chink in its armour, it will take a real special effort for any batting line-up to dominate the Royals bowlers.

The Sunrisers will thus be looking forward to Nicholas Pooran and Rahul Tripathi, two of its big-ticket acquisitions, to do the needful with the bat along with captain Kane Williamson. Tripathi, the star of Knight Riders’ turnaround in IPL 2021, representing Maharashtra in domestic circuit, will be critical in the opening game since he will be playing at his home ground.

While the Royals will be hoping for its death-bowling options to come good, the Sunrisers will have no dearth in options as long as Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan are fit. It will be interesting to see whether Umran Malik can translate his raw pace into consistent wicket-taking spree starting Tuesday.

If he can be the chief wicket-taker, Sunrisers will not only hope to not miss Rashid Khan but also start off its campaign on a winning note.

WHERE AND WHEN TO WATCH RR VS SRH IPL 2022 LIVE?