What

Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to return to winning ways when they take on the Chennai Super Kings in Match 20 of VIVO IPL 2018.

SRH had a run of three consecutive wins, but their unbeaten run was halted when Kings XI Punjab defeated them by 15 runs in Mohali. The formula that had worked for Sunrisers in their first three matches was to restrict their opponents to totals in the region of 140-160, and then chase them down.But against KXIP they were set a testing target – of 194, and were found wanting with the bat. Among the bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was excellent as usual, and Siddarth Kaul got away with respectable figures, but Rashid Khan had a forgettable outing – suffering at the hands of Chris Gayle, who struck the season’s first century.

In their previous outing, Chennai Super Kings had their best game of the season, and they will want to carry forward the momentum from their resounding 64-run win against the Rajasthan Royals. Shane Watson took full toll of RR’s largesse in the field and helped himself to athird IPL hundred, while Suresh Raina looked good on his return to the team. The bowlers – particularly the quicks – bowled smartly, taking cues from watching the RR bowlers bowl earlier in the match, and picked up a total of 7 wickets through a combination of bowling in the right areas and using change of pace.

When

22 April 2018, 2000Hrs (IST)

Where

Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad

Impact Batsmen

Shane Watson was in imperious form in the previous match against the Rajasthan Royals; the Australian, batting at the top of the innings, was aggressive almost right through his knock and muscled the ball on several occasions. The 36-year old will be expected to see his team off to a brisk start once again.

Suresh Raina batted fluently in his 46 against the Rajasthan Royals. The left-hander is an important cog in CSK’s batting plans; he has the ability to bat long and pace his innings, or go hell for leather if the situation demands that. Raina, who bats at number three, will be expected to contribute big runs.

Shikhar Dhawan is SRH’s biggest match-winner with the bat; the left-hander was forced to retire hurt in the previous match after receiving a blow on his left elbow. There has been no official word from the SRH camp, but one expects the left-hander will have recovered and will take his place at the top of the batting order. Dhawan has been in outstanding form with the bat this year – particularly in white ball formats, where he has a century and 6 half-centuries in a total of 18 innings – and his presence in the XI makes a huge difference to the team.

The SRH captain Kane Williamson and Manish Pandey looked good in the previous match; both batsmen made fluent – unhurried half-centuries against KXIP and will look to carry that form forward.

Impact Bowlers

It will be interesting to see if SRH include Billy Stanlake in the XI; the lanky Australian has done well in his three outings this season, and he will test the Chennai Super Kings’ batsmen. The CSK batsmen have struggled against spinners this season, and hence Rashid Khan and Shakib al Hasan will play important roles for the Sunrisers.

Team Head to Head

Overall: Matches – 6, Sunrisers Hyderabad won – 2, Chennai Super Kings won – 4

Trivia

CSK’s struggles against spin this season are well documented. Though CSK have lost 13 wicket to the quick bowlers, they’ve scored at a rate of 10.73; they’ve lost 10 wickets to spinners, but have only managed to score at 7.70 runs per over.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have the lowest boundary percentage of all teams in VIVO IPL 2018; they score only 51.4% of their runs through boundaries.

What Next

Sunrisers Hyderabad’s next assignment will be their return fixture against the defending champions Mumbai Indians; the match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium on April 24. The Chennai Super Kings will visit Bengaluru for their next fixture; they take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore on April 25.