AS IT HAPPENED: IPL 2021 in UAE - Punjab Kings hold off Sunrisers Hyderabad

It’s a battle of the two cellar teams as Punjab Kings will look to brush off the disappointment of their two-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the evening game of the day at the Sharjah International Stadium today.

For Punjab skipper KL Rahul, who had the misfortune of seeing his team fluff the lines again despite a breezy century partnership between him and Mayank Agarwal the other day, the clash against bottom-placed Kane Williamson’s men is a virtual do-or-die one with a win being extremely important to keep themselves in the hunt.

For Sunrisers, the 2016 champions who failed to get their act together in the first game of the UAE leg of the competition, the journey in this edition seems to be virtually over though there is a mathematical possibility of them still being able to make the cut.

The woeful form of David Warner, their talismanic captain till recently, certainly makes a case for head coach Trevor Bayliss to try out attacking England opener Jason Roy in his place. After all, they have nothing to lose at this point.

Over to Sharjah…