If we look at SRH’s journey in the UAE leg so far, they were thumped by Delhi Capitals (DC) by eight wickets before going down to Punjab Kings (PBKS) by five runs. Some change in personnel and an erratic opposition (RR) meant SRH are mathematically alive as far as the race for playoffs is concerned. But realistically, they are out.
CSK have been one of the most impactful sides in both halves of this year’s IPL. They began by unsettling defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI), fought back commendably against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and sneaked out a win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) under intense pressure. Whatever the situation CSK have found a way to win, which will please them no end.
If we look at the points table, CSK are right at the top, having won eight of their ten games. SRH are at the other extreme, with two wins from 10 matches. The disparity between the two teams is rather stark
SRH’s move to bring in Jason Roy for David Warner against RR worked perfectly. Priyam Garg may have been dismissed for a duck but he must be retained and given a few more chances to prove himself. It was also pleasing to see Kane Williamson get some quality runs
SRH’s predicted XI: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma
The only change CSK would be pondering upon would be whether to give Dwayne Bravo more rest of bring him back and make Sam Curran warm the benches again. Unless there is an injury issue or CSK want to experiment, most of the other players should retain their places
CSK’s predicted XI: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood
Top fantasy picks for SRH vs CSK clash: Jason Roy, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur
--Renin Wilben Albert