Fresh from a week’s break, the Chennai Super Kings need to get their IPL campaign back on track as they take on the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League’s match 14 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The two teams have just one win from three matches. CSK lost its previous match against the Delhi Capitals while SRH recorded their first win of the season against the same opponent.
And here’s the SWOT analysis.
The SWOT for CSK:
Strengths: Bowling is showing promise but needs to get better. Josh Hazlewood bowled a decent spell against DC. Deepak Chahar has three wickets so far. Leg spinner Piyush Chawla and all-rounder Sam Curran got wickets in all three matches. They just need to improve their consistency.
Weaknesses: Poor batting. Ambati Rayudu’s injury absence has left Faf du Plessis as the lone CSK warrior. Openers Murali Vijay and Shane Watson have looked rusty and MS Dhoni has been reluctant to move higher in the order. Newcomer Ruturaj Gaikwad is still finding his feet. And Ravindra Jadeja’s bowling has seemed lacking so far.
Opportunities: Imran Tahir needs some game time. He finished with 26 wickets last season. With the team not in the best of form, Tahir needs a chance to turn things around.
Threats: Every match is important as all of the teams are closely matched this year. CSK need to rack up some points in the next four matches to give themselves a good chance of making the play-offs.
The SWOT for SRH:
Strengths: The batting looks much stronger with Kane Williamson. Jonny Bairstow, David Warner, Manish Pandey and Williamson as the top four have fixed some of SRH’s middle-order problems. The NZ skipper on his first game back scored a brisk 41, which was a vital part of SRH’s good total against DC. SRH should stick with Williamson and rotate others if needed.
Weaknesses: Rashid Khan seems to be getting into his groove but he’s not his usual menacing self. SRH don’t have enough overseas slots for everyone they need in the playing XI. A genuine all-rounder like Mohammad Nabi cannot be accommodated for most matches. They also need to find quality spin support for Rashid.
Opportunities: Kane Williamson has made a good start. If SRH want to go far, they need Williamson to play all the matches and score big runs. Two years ago, Williamson finished as the season’s top run-scorer with 735 runs.
Threats: SRH haven’t found their best combination or delivered a memorable performance that stands out. They are right now at the back of the line for play-off probables.
Head to head:
Matches played: 13
Chennai Super Kings: 10
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 3
Last five matches (most recent first):
Chennai Super Kings: L-L-W-L-W
Sunrisers Hyderabad: W-L-L-L-L
Deccan Herald’s Dream XI
David Warner, Kane Williamson, Faf du Plessis, Manish Pandey, MS Dhoni (wk/c), Abdul Samad, Piyush Chawla, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natrajan, Deepak Chahar
Ground conditions
The temperature will be around 33 degrees celsius. Humidity will be 54%. The sky will be clear with a gentle breeze from the north.
Team news
CSK middle-order batsman Ambati Rayudu was out with a hamstring injury. According to CSK CEO KS Viswanathan, Rayudu has recovered well and should be available for selection. Dwayne Bravo could show up also. There’s no news from the SRH front.
Impact player for CSK
Faf du Plessis: He is the best CSK batsman at the moment. He needs to keep that form going. With 173 runs, du Plessis is third on the list of top run-getters. CSK need him to stay the course.
Impact player for SRH
T Natarajan: He nailed DC in the death overs with pinpoint yorkers. He has been one of the few bowlers this season who has been able to contain runs at the death. SRH need him to repeat the effort against CSK.
Betting odds (bet365)
Chennai Super Kings: 4/5
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1/1
How to watch
The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 PM IST.
