CLT20: CSK vs SRH - Sunrisers Hyderabad Preview

Can the Sunrisers beat the Super Kings?

In the match 10 of the Champions League 2013, both teams, Chennai Super Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, will look to play for a win which would take them to the top of the table in Group B.

Both teams have won their previous matches, chasing down scores at more than a run a ball rate. With the Sunrisers, the match went down to the wire, featuring the cameo from Thisara Perera (57 from 32 balls) which was instrumental in securing victory for them.

The Sunrisers will look up to their captain and opener Shikhar Dhawan to help them post a big score along with the other left-hand opener Parthiv Patel. JP Duminy will be a very useful in the middle order because he can change gears at will and pace his innings as the game requires, and can pick up wickets too. Hitters like Perera can do the damage in the latter part of the innings once there is a platform set in the first 10 overs.

Dale Steyn should be a handful with the ball, even though he got a beating in the previous game at the hands of the Trinidad and Tobago batters. Amit Mishra may prove useful given that there is some help from the pitch. Mishra produced brilliant spells of bowling in the Zimbabwe tour and claimed 18 wickets in the 5 games that India played there. He has been bowling with a decent economy in the last 4 games for the Sunrisers as well, and can create problems for Chennai if it’s his day today.

All-rounder Darren Sammy will be expected to deliver the goods with both bat and ball, and can very well partner with Perera if a huge target is to be chased down. He has delivered with the ball too, picking up 5 wickets in the last 4 games that he has played. The Sunrisers will have to figure out who all among the overseas players they want to play to create a favourable combination.

The teams have met only twice in the past and Chennai has won both times – something that would be playing on the minds of the Sunrisers team management.

Conditions

The match will be played under lights and the dew will come into play, hence the toss will prove to be a deciding factor. The teams may look to bowl first, as they will feel they have no trouble chasing. The wet ball will be difficult to grip in the second innings and may not bode very well for Chennai’s bowling attack which is dominated by spin. The track is expected to provide turn and bounce, so there will be some help for their spinners from the pitch.

Key Players

Shikhar Dhawan

The captain will look to lead from the front and would like to get some runs under his belt. It will be very easy for the Sunrisers to reach a good score if Dhawan can deliver in the initial overs. He just has to get his eye in and get going. He has produced good knocks in the qualifiers, scoring 71 against the Kandurata Maroons and 59 against the Otago Volts.

Dale Steyn

He will have a point to prove as the spearhead of the bowling attack. Expect him to be brutal with the new ball at the beginning of the innings. He went for 41 in his 4 against Trinidad and Tobago last game, so he is sure to make this outing count.

Thisara Perera

The ideal T20 finisher, he will be helpful in accelerating the innings later on and can chase down a huge target all by himself, as he has done on countless occasions for Sri Lanka and his T20 franchise. Last game, he picked up a couple of wickets in his bowling spell as well. He is brimming with confidence and there will be no surprises if he pulls off a match-winning performance this time too.

X-factors: Darren Sammy, JP Duminy

Prediction:

Chennai Super Kings have the upper hand, going by their current form and the winning combination that they have kept going. Sunrisers may tend to be a bit too reliant on Perera to propel them towards the end, which may be a problem if he has an off-day.