IPL 2020: SRH vs RR, Match 26: Warner, Pandey, Buttler, Sharma chase milestones

Dubai, October 11: Sunrisers Hyderabad face Rajasthan Royals in the first match of the double header on Sunday (October 11) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Match 26 of the ndian Premier League (IPL) 2020.

While RR enter this game on the back of four successive losses, SRH come into the game on the back of a huge win over Kings XI Punjab. RR suffered their fourth successive loss on Friday (October 9) when they were beaten by Delhi Capitals in Sharjah.

Steve Smith-led RR had opened their campaign with twin wins against Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab, but since then they have been searching for a win, having been beaten by Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai Indians and DC.

SRH, on the other hand, have lost three of their six games so far, having lost to RCB, MI and KKR. David Warner-led unit, however, have beaten DC, CSK and KXIP to pocket six points.

The match will see some top class T20 stars in action like David Warner, Jofra Archer, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow and there are even chances of Ben Stokes making his first appearance of the season.

While we will see many top players in action, a few of them are approaching milestones coming into Sunday's match and here, we take a look at the players who are chasing personal milestones:

David Warner

The SRH skipper played a perfect foil to Jonny Bairstow and along the way also completed 50th IPL fifty and 9th successive 50-plus score against KXIP. Warner has two successive fifties against his name and he will be eager to make it three in a row and guide his team to a victory against RR.

Warner, who missed one milestone by a whisker in the last match will look to cross the line on Sunday (October 11) as he needs just 2 runs to complete 3500 IPL runs for SRH. And a much bigger record awaits him as he needs 67 runs to complete 5000 IPL runs.

Manish Pandey

Like Warner, Pandey also failed to cross a milestone in SRH's last outing. The Karnataka batsman requires 9 runs to complete 3000 IPL runs. So, he'll hope he gets the chance to reach that milestone against Royals.

Jos Buttler

Buttler has shown flashes of brilliance in all his innings in the IPL 2020 and has a 44-ball 70-run knock against MI, but he will be looking for a big score against SRH to set the ball rolling for RR. The England wicketkeeper-batsman also has milestones in his sight as he needs 11 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs for RR, while he also needs 7 sixes to reach 50 IPL sixes.

Sanju Samson

Can he halt the dip in form and come out all guns blazing? If Sanju Samson manages to turn the tide and return to his big-hitting and big-scoring form, he will give RR a chance to bounce back after a series of wins. Add to it, the treat he will provide to the cricket fans with those delectable shots. The Kerala player also reaches a landmark in this game as it will be his 100th IPL match.

Sandeep Sharma

The underrated Sunrisers pacer has had a mixed campaign so far, having played three games conceding 104 for 2 wickets. But he'll need to be at his very best if he wants to reach a milestone. The Punjab bowler needs 3 wickets to complete 100 IPL wickets.

Steve Smith

The Australian run-machine started the season with a bang, but has since then struggled for runs and he will need to get back to his best as RR need those wins soon. And he also requires 53 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs as captain.