Overview
The MA Chidambaram Stadium will see the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday, in what will be a second successive southern derby for the home side. Their victory over Bangalore lifted Chennai into playoff contention, while Hyderabad have only the Delhi Capitals below them in the table. However, the teams being separated by just two points gives you an indication of just how fierce the competition is this season.
Chennai have rebounded strongly after their opening-game loss to Gujarat Titans, winning three of their last four matches. The team has an impressive record in front of their home fans, having won more than 70 per cent of their matches at Chepauk. Devon Conway, the Chennai opener, has been in excellent form, and will be eyeing a third successive IPL half-century. Meanwhile, Tushar Despande is currently the team’s leading wicket-taker, having dismissed nine batters across his last four appearances.
Hyderabad, on the other hand, struggled at the beginning, losing their opening matches against Rajasthan Royals and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). They then bounced back with wins over Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), before suffering a 14-run defeat against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday. Despite their recent victories, Hyderabad have struggled with the bat this season, with no player in the tournament’s top 20 run-scorers. However, Heinrich Klaasen, who joined the squad late because of international commitments, has caught the eye with a strike-rate of 236.36.
Sunrisers have only two bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Marco Jansen, who have delivered maiden overs in this year’s competition. Mayank Markande, their leg-spinner, could be a good option in this match, having taken six wickets so far this season.
Venue and time
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. 7:30 PM IST.
Expected conditions and toss
The weather in Chennai on Friday is expected to be clear but humid, with temperatures above 30C. The average first-innings score in the IPL at Chepauk is 163, but this season, first-innings totals of 217 and 175 have already been recorded. The team that wins the toss is likely to chase a target.
Head to Head
Out of the 18 meetings between Chennai and Hyderabad, Chennai have won 13, with Hyderabad victorious on only five occasions.
Possible XIs and Impact Player Watch
Akash Singh could be a likely Impact Player for Chennai if they’re defending a total. Mayank Dagar could come in for Hyderabad if they need a spin-bowling all-rounder against Chennai.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Mayank Agarwal, Harry Brook, Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram (C), Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, Adil Rashid, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, T Natarajan.
Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C, WK), Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana.
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