IPL 2019: Match 41, CSK vs SRH - Match Preview, Predicted Playing XI and Key Players
The Chennai Super Kings will take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Chennai on April 23rd. The race for a playoffs spot is becoming much more intense and this match will be of great importance to the standings.
CSK are at the top rung of the table with 7 wins from 10 games but 2 successive losses have robbed them of their momentum. SRH, meanwhile, have won 2 games in a row and will want to beat CSK at their home, a task which has been impossible up till now.
Chennai Super Kings
Batting
Key Batsmen: Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni
The Chennai Super Kings have struggled with the bat and apart from Du Plessis and MS Dhoni, no one has looked comfortable at the crease and their opening partnership has been a constant cause of worry for them.
The middle order batsmen too haven't been at their best and they have been getting out of trouble because they have a long tail but against SRH, the CSK batsmen have to be at their A-Game. Suresh Raina will be key in this fixture and will look to make amends for his poor showing in the previous match.
Bowling
Key Bowlers: Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja and Deepak Chahar
CSK's bowling, on the contrary, has been highly impressive and they have bowled very well and stuck together as a unit. Imran Tahir has been their star this season and the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and Harbhajan Singh will thrive on the slow, spin-friendly track at Chennai.
Their fast bowlers have done a decent job and though the spinners have led the bowling attack, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur have done a good job and have picked up crucial wickets. DJ Bravo's return to fitness is another positive and CSK will want to pick up early wickets and put some pressure on the untested SRH middle order.
Predicted Playing XI
Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (C and WK), DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
Batting
Key Batsmen: Jonny Bairstow, David Warner and Kane Williamson.
SRH's top order once again finished off the game without any concern as their dynamic opening duo put on a century-opening stand to take the game away from KKR. Jonny Bairstow, however, will be leaving for England after this game and will want to make a mark before he leaves. Kane Williamson too hasn't got the big score and will want to prove his mettle on a hard batting surface here in Chennai.
It's not easy to bat here and SRH will certainly be tested by the CSK bowlers and their middle order must fire if asked to come out to bat. The likes of Vijay Shankar and Manish Pandey have a key role to play in this game.
Bowling
Key Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Shahbaz Nadeem and Khaleel Ahmed
SRH's bowling has been pretty good in their last few games and on a spin-friendly track in Chennai, Rashid Khan will take centre stage. Wily left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem will also have a major role to play. Left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed has been an X-Factor in this SRH bowling lineup and has picked up 7 wickets from 3 matches. The unique angle he generates being a left-arm quick will be a trump card for SRH to use and he'll have a huge role to play.
Predicted Playing XI
Jonny Bairstow(WK), David Warner, Kane Williamson(C), Vijay Shankar, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Khaleel Ahmed, Shahbaz Nadeem and Sandeep Sharma.
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