Chennai Super Kings (CSK), defending champions, aim to rebound from consecutive losses when they face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their IPL match on Sunday. CSK initially had a strong start under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad but suffered two defeats against Lucknow Super Giants, including a breach of their Chepauk home ground due to Marcus Stoinis' impressive performance.
Currently fifth with four wins and four losses in eight games, CSK are level on points with Delhi Capitals and Gujarat Titans. CSK's batting relies heavily on Gaikwad, who recently achieved his second IPL century, and in-form Shivam Dube. However, the inconsistent form of the top-order, especially Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, has necessitated changes in the batting order.
CSK's bowling struggled against LSG due to excessive dew, which hindered their spinners and allowed LSG to chase a challenging total. CSK pacers took four wickets, but spinners faced difficulties with gripping the ball and misfields hampered their performance.
SRH, third in the league, face CSK after a 35-run defeat to RCB. Despite their strong batting, SRH's top and middle-order struggled against RCB, prompting head coach Daniel Vettori to reconsider their aggressive batting strategy. Aiden Markram needs to improve, while veteran seamer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has struggled in recent games.
SRH may consider utilising pacers Umran Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi, or Akash Singh. SRH have successfully defended totals in four of their last five matches, making batting first advantageous. Both teams will be mindful of the unpredictable dew factor.
CSK vs SRH Squads
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman and Avinash Rao Aravelly. Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Shaik Rasheed, Nishant Sindhu, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman and Avinash Rao Aravelly.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Nitish Reddy, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan, Mayank Markande, Umran Malik, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tripathi, Washington Sundar, Upendra Yadav, Jhatavedh Subramanyan, Sanvir Singh, Vijayakanth Viyaskanth, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Marco Jansen, Akash Maharaj Singh and Mayank Agarwal. Match stats: 7.30 PM (IST). Match stats: 7.30 PM (IST).
CSK vs SRH Playing 11
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Daryl Mitchell, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Moeen Ali, 7 MS Dhoni (wk), 8 Deepak Chahar, 9 Tushar Deshpande, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Matheesha Pathirana,
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Aiden Markram, 4 Heinrich Klaasen (wk), 5 Abdul Samad, 6 Nitish Kumar Reddy, 7 Shahbaz Ahmed, 8 Pat Cummins (capt), 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Mayank Markande, 11 T Natarajan
CSK vs SRH Last Match
The two teams faced off in Hyderabad on April 5, before this IPL became a six-hitting frenzy. Dube scored 45 from 24, but SRH limited CSK to 165 for 5. Abhishek set up the chase with a quick 37 off 12, while Aiden Markram led SRH to victory with a steady 50 off 36.
CSK vs SRH Head to Head
Chennai Super Kings have played 20 matches. They have won 14 matches. Sunrisers Hyderabad have won 6 matches.
CSK vs SRH The Pitch
Chepauk has witnessed scores surpassing 200 three times in four games this season, with two occurrences in the most recent match. Apart from those instances, the pitch hasn't been the most conducive for high-scoring games and may pose a challenge for SRH's strategy. However, if the pitch remains similar to the last match, batters will be eager to take advantage.
CSK vs SRH The Toss
The MA Chidambaram stadium's pitch typically benefits bowlers, especially spinners. However, the games played at the venue this season have shown the pitch is still new and advantageous to both batters and pace bowlers.
CSK vs SRH The Weather
The CSK vs SRH match is scheduled for Sunday night. With only an 8% chance of rain, the match is unlikely to be disrupted. Temperatures will be around 30°C with 79% humidity, and winds of 7.27 m/s are expected. Dew could play a role, similar to the previous game where LSG successfully chased down 207 runs against CSK with dew assistance.
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