Both sides are on the cusp of qualification for the knockout phase of the tournament, with Sunrisers having collected 13 points from the 11 games that they have played to date, and Pune having secured one more point from the same number of fixtures.
The Sunrisers have proved invincible of home soil in 2017, playing and winning five times in Hyderabad. Away from home they have played six times, from which they have picked up just three points, from one victory and a “no result”.
It is this poor form away from their home stadium that might hinder their defence of the title. Their most recent fixture saw them slip to another away loss at struggling Delhi Daredevils, where they were beaten by 6-wickets. While their most recent outing in Hyderabad saw Australian David Warner smash a century as they piled up 209-3 against high flying Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), on the way to a 48 run success.
Supergiant, in just their second season of IPL action, are currently on a run that has brought them six wins from their last seven fixtures. The most recent victory coming against KKR by 4-wickets, when they chased down 156 for victory, thanks in the main to Tripathi who scored 93 of their total.
The teams have met on three occasions in the IPL, with Supergiant having the edge with two wins to Sunrisers solitary success. The most recent clash in Match No. 24 this season ended with Pune winning by six wickets, after the Sunrisers had posted an imposing 176-3. Supergiant getting home off of the final delivery of the match, with Tripathi and MS Dhoni both scoring half centuries.