Punjab eye victory against Hyderabad to stay alive for playoff

MOHALI: Seen through a statistician's eye, this is a contest between the most exciting team, as far stretching the match to the last over is concerned , and the bottom ranked team of IPL 5. Ideally, that would make it more of a mismatch but there is a hint of irony lurking as Team Punjab take on Team Hyderabad at the PCA Stadium in Mohali on Sunday.
While Hyderabad have nothing to lose, there is everything for Punjab to gain out of this crucial tie, though they will be dangling between the dilemma of playing a calculated game or going all out against a down-and-out team, because a loss here would almost seal their chances of a play off berth.Yet, this is also the best possible opportunity they have to strengthen their play-off berth and stay afloat as the scramble gets intense day by day.
A win here will not only be a psychological boost but also bring cheers to the local fans who have seen the home team win just one match at their home ground. Hyderabad, on the other hand, can afford to throw the steering wheel out of the window and go full throttle. If they manage to knock off the hosts they can wink and smirk and move on. Of course, their pride will also be salvaged to some extent. The visitors have the freedom to chop and change their team composition.
Team Hyderabad skipper Kumar Sangakkara said, "Despite scoring 180 plus in most of the matches we still ended up on the losing side. That's a bit sad but yes we did commit some serious mistakes in bowling and fielding in some crucial matches. Nevertheless, we will play for pride here."
Plagued with some scratchy performances by key players throughout the tournament, the skipper said, "Some of the fringe players might get a chance to play."
Team Punjab are unlikely to tinker with their winning combo but will be determined to win here.
"I don't think we are still in a must-win situation, but yes, we are in the business end and every team is desperate to win now. There is nothing wrong with our team balance with respect to the Mohali pitch, but I don't know why we have lost here to with most of the teams," he said.
South African pacer Dale Steyn would be the key man for Hyderabad to restrict Punjab to a modest total. For Punjab, Azhar Mahmood still remains their trump card.