SRH vs CSK Match Prediction: Who will win today's IPL 2024 match?
MS Dhoni has still got it. Time has proven that the veteran keeper-batter won't turn up if he wasn't still capable, but given the amount of time he spends on the sidelines between Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons, fans watch with bated breath each time he steps onto the field in a new campaign.
Those who turned up at Visakhapatnam to witness the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on the Delhi Capitals were treated to a vintage Dhoni special, complete with long brown locks and a ton of bottom-handed big-hitting. He even threw in a few refused singles and gave himself some time to spend in the middle even as the match went begging.
CSK will enter their upcoming clash against the SunRisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday, April 5, knowing that their former skipper now has some runs and match practice. They will also be aware of the fact that they can't afford to lose two games in a row, given how the top-four of the standings are shaping up.
Two teams, the Rajasthan Royals and the Kolkata Knight Riders, are unbeaten in three games and are atop the standings. To avoid getting stuck in a mid-table logjam, the Men in Yellow need to ensure that they put their disappointing loss to DC in the rearview mirror and put their best foot forward against SRH.
Hyderabad themselves are coming off a loss, and an unfortunate one at that. They fell to the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad, losing their second away game in a row in IPL 2024. Between those two defeats, the Orange Army engaged in a run-fest of the highest order at home against the Mumbai Indians.
Much of the same can be expected at Hyderabad, where prolific run-scoring has been a given even without the prospect of two power-packed batting lineups locking horns.
IPL 2024, SRH vs CSK: High-scoring Hyderabad gears up for heavyweight clash
CSK have won four of their last five IPL clashes against SRH, but the SunRisers might just be the best they've been in a while this year. While they may have more losses than wins on their record right now, Pat Cummins and Co. have the resources to shine in all departments.
Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been the epitomes of destruction, while Cummins has chipped in with his cutters and bouncers to lead a pace attack that has struggled on the whole. SRH will welcome T Natarajan's return, if he's fit, to boost their death-bowling stocks.
The CSK vs SRH clash could come down to whether Deepak Chahar and Tushar Deshpande can shackle the likes of Head and Abhishek in the powerplay. Given how Chahar has bowled so far, that doesn't look likely.
Nevertheless, can Hyderabad's bowlers keep the opposition batters in check? Bhuvneshwar Kumar has leaked runs without picking up any wickets, while Mayank Markande hasn't been able to produce regular breakthroughs in the middle overs.
With the spin-hitting ability of the CSK middle order being a major factor, SRH will need their fast bowlers to be at their absolute best. And an attack of Cummins, Bhuvneshwar, Natarajan and potentially Umran Malik doesn't inspire enough confidence.
SRH definitely have the batting might to blow CSK out of the water, but the Super Kings have been the better side in the competition. If the away side's powerplay bowling is even marginally better, they could be on course to return to the win column.
Prediction: CSK to win Match 18 of IPL 2024