IPL 2018 CSK vs SRH: 5 players battles to look forward to

It is the battle between the 1st and 2nd next at Pune as Chennai Super Kings take on table-toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Apart from being the clash between the tournament’s best sides, it is also the battle between the IPL’s best batting unit and its most unforgiving bowling attack.

In their previous games respectively, CSK were beaten in a tightly contested game, while SRH chased down a big total with ease.

Both teams will want to keep winning so that they can guarantee their places within the top two and the game promises to be a classic.

A plethora of stars are going to be on show today and some of the individual battles between them will have a big impact on the ultimate result of the game.

Here is a look at the 5 most important individual battles in the next game between CSK and SRH.

#5 Ambati Rayudu v Sandeep Sharma

Ambati Rayudu is CSK’s highest run-scorer with an aggregate of 435 runs so far in 11 games and following a rare disappointment in the previous game against Rajasthan Royals, the opening batsman would be eager to return to his prolific ways.

More importantly, he is averaging 39.54 and striking at a brilliant 151.04 so far this season. He has been responsible for getting CSK off to fast starts throughout the season and in the next game, his early tussle with Sandeep Sharma is going to be a very interesting one.

The SRH pacer came into the team following Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s absence but, has since nailed down a spot in the eleven and his tight opening spells have been vital for SRH’s fortunes.

He is not express quick but he is accurate, clever and can move the ball either way. Sharma’s movement has made him a very tough bowler to negotiate and in 7 games so far, he has recorded an outstanding economy rate of only 5.37 runs an over.

It will be very interesting to see how Rayudu handles him.