Big Picture – Khaleel a big miss for CSK
For now, Ishan Kishan remains the captain and their best striker this season, while Heinrich Klaasen and Nitish Reddy have made timely contributions through the middle and death overs. Now for Travishek to regain their old consistency and become fearsome once again.
Form Guide
Sunrisers Hyderabad WLWWL (last five matches, most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings WWLLL
Key Question
Team News
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins is set to arrive in Hyderabad on Friday, and is in line to feature from April 25, according to head coach Daniel Vettori. Cummins had flown home after the first game in Bengaluru to consult his specialists and undergo scans on his back, before being given an all-clear by Cricket Australia.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (probable XII): 1 Travis Head, 2 Abhishek Sharma, 3 Ishan Kishan (capt, wk), 4 Heinrich Klaasen,s 5 Nitish Reddy, 6 Aniket Verma, 7 Salil Arora, 8 Harsh Dubey, 9 Shivang Kumar, 10 Eshan Malinga, 10 Praful Hinge, 12 Sakib Hussain
Dhoni is nearing match fitness after a three-week rehab for a calf strain and has travelled with the squad for an away game for the first time this season. However, his inclusion remains uncertain.
CSK’s bigger concern will be filling a void in Khaleel’s absence due to a quadriceps injury. This could open the door for Mukesh Choudhary if they prefer an Indian seamer. Mukesh is a like-for-like option who has played 16 matches for the side, 13 of them in 2022. But if they pivot towards experience, it could bring Henry back into the mix.
Chennai Super Kings (probable XII): 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad (capt), 2 Sanju Samson (wk), 3 Ayush Mhatre, 4 Dewald Brewis, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Jamie Overton, 8 Noor Ahmad, 9 Anshul Kamboj, 10 Gurjapneet Singh, 11 Mukesh Choudhary/Matt Henry, 12 Akeal Hosein/MS Dhoni
In the spotlight
Ruturaj Gaikwad may not feel heat from the CSK management, but his own high standards of the past could soon gnaw at him. Across four innings, his top score is 28, with a strike rate of 105 – the second-lowest among batters who’ve faced 50 balls. He has also been dismissed twice by left-arm spin in two innings, making Harsh Dubey a compelling powerplay match-up. There is increasing chatter around a move to No. 3, especially with Ayush Mhatre in excellent form at the top. These conversations will only grow louder with another failure.
Stats and trivia
- Noor Ahmad, fresh off a Player-of-the-Match performance, faces a sterner middle-overs test against Heinrich Klaasen, who strikes at 269 against him (43 runs, 0 dismissals in two innings).
- Sarfaraz Khan’s blinders have made a few highlights reels, but CSK’s catching efficiency of 63.6% is the lowest among all sides so far this season. They dropped three catches in their win against KKR.
- CSK have struggled against left-handers this season, conceding at 11.8 and taking just one wicket in 6.2 overs. That’s a concern against Sunrisers Hyderabad’s left-heavy top three of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan. By contrast, their economy against right-handers is a more controlled 9.5, albeit across a larger sample of 52.1 overs.
Pitch and conditions
The surface is the same as the one on which SRH beat Rajasthan Royals three nights ago. While it’s expected to be a belter, as Ishan Kishan proved with SRH posting 216, Vettori expects this surface to play a tad differently because of the heat factor. This, he said, may also force them to alter their combinations if necessary.
Quotes
“The goal is to be super aggressive. To make that that come off every time is impossible. We still want them to stick to their natural games. We have a strong enough batting group behind them, and they’ve been able to perform exceptionally well even when that partnership hasn’t come off. When they come off, they’re one of the best in the competition. We want to them to play with that freedom.”
SRH coach Daniel Vettori isn’t fussed bout Travishek’s form or approach
“He’s going fine, hasn’t had the returns that he would like, and he’s working hard on that. He’s training well, hitting the ball well, has a positive mindset. If we can cover for him for a few games and he comes into form, that’s the way IPL can go. very rarely someone dominates the whole way through. He’s working very hard and has a lot of support around him.”
CSK coach Stephen Fleming believes its a matter of time before Gaikwad fires
Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo
