The best batting line-up v the best bowling line-up this IPL
Shikhar Dhawan retired hurt after being hit on his elbow on Thursday and did not train with the Sunrisers on the eve of the match.
Alagappan Muthu
21-Apr-2018
Big picture
Loads of people were waiting for them. Others not so much. They've been at the centre of all the drama (including some that was unsavoury). They've got some pretty charismatic personalities. Perhaps when the IPL ends ( y'know, like all good things) Chennai Super Kings could keep the band together and go into the reality show business. For now though, they have some cricket to play. On Sunday, they'll be up against the best bowling team in the tournament.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have conceded runs at only 7.54 per over this season, the best economy rate among all teams. With Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Shakib Al Hasan as first-choice picks, that's to be expected.
Super Kings won't be afraid though. They know calculated hitting - as opposed to going after every ball - is clinging on to its three square inches on the T20 landscape. MS Dhoni has built his entire career on the idea and his team has bought into it unequivocally. With three wins from four games, and the best run rate (9.68) in this IPL, the plan is working.
In the news
- Shikhar Dhawan retired hurt after being hit on his elbow on Thursday *and did not train with the Sunrisers on the eve of the match.
- Billy Stanlake missed that game with injury, and if he's back to full fitness, Chris Jordan might have to move back to the bench.
- Faf du Plessis came into the IPL carrying a couple of injuries, but with Shane Watson's century in the last game, even if he is fully fit, he might not be able to break into the Super Kings XI
The likely XIs
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Yusuf Pathan, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Deepak Hooda, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Siddharth Kaul, 11 Billy Stanlake
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Ambati Rayudu, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 5 Sam Billings, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Dwayne Bravo, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Imran Tahir, 11 Shardul Thakur
Strategy punt
Dhoni has lost his wicket to a legspinner three times in 19 deliveries this season. Additionally, the Super Kings captain has made only 11 runs against this type of bowling. So Rashid, over to you.
Stats that matter
- Sunrisers' weaker suit is their batting; their middle order the source of their problems. Nos. 4 to 7 have collectively averaged 23 since IPL 2015, placing them seventh out of 10 teams. With the inclusion of Manish Pandey and Yusuf Pathan this edition, they are contributing more runs, but their rate of scoring - 8.05 - is the slowest out of all the teams.
Fantasy picks
Suresh Raina. He hit form in the previous game for Super Kings, and considering he's back in the yellow jersey again, there is every chance it can snowball into a big run. He'll want to be wary of Rashid, though. Since IPL 2015, Raina has been dismissed by right-arm legspinners eight times in 24 innings, scoring only 155 runs off 122 balls.
*GMT 1910 hrs The preview was updated with information of Shikhar Dhawan missing pre-match training
Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo