Points Table Pole Position Up for Grabs: SRH vs PBKS

13 points: 6 wins, 2 losses, 1 no-result. Only team on 13Form: Suffered 2nd straight defeat vs GT on May 3 but “retained top spot despite loss. ”NRR: +0.855 keeps them ahead of the 12-point pack. Recent: Lost to GT by 4 wickets in low-scoring game at Ahmedabad. SRH changed their bowling combination, and went on a run of five successive wins. The raw fast bowlers Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain replaced the experienced quicks Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel. While Hinge hasn't been as consistent after a stunning debut, Sakib has nine wickets at 22.55. Even Eshan Malinga turned his season around, while Travis Head is also back among the runs. Why SRH Are Jostling 12 points: 6 wins, 4 losses in 10 games. Tied with RCB, RR, GT on points5-match win streak ended: KKR beat SRH by 7 wickets on May 3 at Uppal. Orange Cap: Abhishek Sharma leads with 440 runs in 10 innings, SR 206.57Purple Cap: Eshan Malinga on 15 wickets for SRH. Marcus Stoinis was among the runs - he thumped 62* off 22 balls against RR, and 40 in 31 deliveries in a rescue act against Gujarat Titans (GT). PBKS brought Suryansh Shedge back to play against GT, and he responded with 57 off 29 balls, on the way adding 79 with Stoinis from 47 for 5. Two losses won't worry table-toppers PBKS yet. But with five group fixtures remaining ahead of the playoffs, they would be wary of not extending that run - not least because another defeat will push SRH to the top spot, although PBKS will have a game in hand. Bottom line: PBKS lead with 13 pts but just lost 2 straight. SRH on 12 pts had a chance to go #1 but KKR halted their 5-match run. With 4 teams on 12 pts, the top spot changes every match day. SRH vs PBKS on May 6 is a virtual top-of-table clash. Bottom line: Malinga started IPL 2026 as SRH’s weak link, but 12 wickets @ 16.75 since has made him their match-winner. If SRH want to jostle past PBKS for top spot, Malinga has to hit back after the KKR game. On pitch no. 2, the average score in night matches across IPL 2024 and 2025 is 200, with a 3-2 record batting first. In the only game this season, SRH posted 242 against Delhi Capitals and won by 47 runs. PBKS, meanwhile, have won five of their six matches while chasing this season. So both teams could get their way at the toss. It rained on the eve of the match, and it's expected to be cloudy in Hyderabad on Wednesday.