New Delhi: If you have a look at the IPL points table, CSK and SRH have similar numbers, except run-rate. CSK would thank their gun batting order for that. This is a contest between sides collecting wins by contrasting methods. CSK = batting, SRH = bowling. After Shikhar Dhawan's injury the other day against KXIP in Mohali, the gap between SRH and CSK has widened, saying SRH will have to hope their strong bowling restricts batting-crazy CSK to a reasonable total. It is not to say that SRH lack good batters but it will fair to point out that they do not have a gun opening pair which can get them off to a flier. Since they are chasing on a good Uppal wicket, it is expected Saha & Co. will step up for the home side.
However, these are three players to watch out for:
1. Shane Watson: Before the IPL, many wrote this Aussie off but CSK. Stephen Fleming was aware of his talent and the fillip he can provide with his all-around skills. And the reason to have splurged such a huge amount on him during the auctions. Last game, he scored a century and has proved handy with the ball, both at the top and at the death. SRH must have gone back to the drawing board to chalk out a potent plan for Watson.
2.Bhuvneshwar Kumar: The wily Indian seamer is the stand out feature in IPL. The entire bowling gets hammered but Bhuvneshwar has such skills up his sleeve that he finds a way to sneak away miserly. Helping him is the knuckle-ball, which he nearly owns. When he had learned the art, he would execute it during the death overs but now he is equally spot on with the new ball as well, deceiving batters. Since CSK do not have Gayle-like explosives, BHuvneshwar's overs will have to be played out carefully.
3. Rashid Khan: Yes, he was clubbed by Chris Gayle. Yes, he proved the reason for SRH's loss. But discount this talented and mysterious leggie at your own peril. At his home ground, things work for him. He claws back and provides the breakthrough. Let's hope he has recovered from the trauma in Mohali and returns a stronger Rashid.
Squads:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Kane Williamson (captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Manish Pandey, Rashid Khan Arman, Shikhar Dhawan, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sandeep Sharma, Shakib Al Hasan, Carlos Brathwaite, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Nabi Eisakhil, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Billy Stanlake, Siddharth Kaul, Deepak Hooda, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Shreevats Goswami, Basil Thampi, T. Natarajan, Bipul Sharma, Mehdi Hasan, Ricky Bhui, Sachin Baby, Tanmay Agarwal.
Chennai Super Kings: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, K M Asif, Kanishk Seth, Lungi Ngidi, Dhruv Shorey, Murali Vijay, Sam Billings, Mark Wood, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Imran Tahir, Karn Sharma, Shardul Thakur, N Jagadeesan.
