IPL 2021, SRH vs CSK preview: Will Chennai end Hyderabad's playoffs hopes for good?

By Ayush Gupta | First Published Sep 29, 2021, 7:59 PM IST

Chennai Super Kings has virtually sealed its IPL 2021 playoffs berth as it takes on Sunrisers Hyderabad. A win for Chennai would seal its berth, while Hyderabad would be officially knocked out of the race.

It would be a clash of two poles in the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), as two former champions, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), would collide in Match 44 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Thursday. It would be a qualifier and eliminator simultaneously, as a win for CSK would seal its playoffs berth, while SRH would be knocked out of contention for the playoffs. Here is the preview of this match.

Current form
CSK is placed atop the table, with eight wins from ten games and has 16 points. As for SRH, it is at rock bottom, with just two wins from ten and has accumulated just four points, therefore terming this as the clash of two poles, despite the two teams belonging from south India.

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Team composition
As far as the teams are concerned, CSK is a tide heavy on its bowling. Although it possesses a bearing batting line-up, it has not had an excellent last season. Nevertheless, things have gone well for the side so far, while again, the focus would come on the top guns like Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, and skipper MS Dhoni.

Meanwhile, SRH is moderately heavy on its batting. However, it maintains an excellent bowling attack that has somewhat delivered this season. However, its batting is yet to fire, even under Kane Williamson's captaincy. Therefore, the focus once again goes to the skipper, along with Manish Pandey, David Warner, Mohammad Nabi, Jason Holder, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rashid Khan, Khaleel Ahmed and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

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Injury concerns: CSK would be wary of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo's fitness, while SRH continues to have pacer T Natarajan and Vijay Shankar out due to COVID-19.

Head-to-head
The two sides have clashed on 16 occasions, with CSK leading 12-4, while in 15 IPL games, CSK leads 11-4. Of the three games in the UAE, CSK leads 2-1, while they have played each other once in Sharaj, with CSK winning it.

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Weather and pitch report
The Sharjah weather would be hot, with an expected temperature of 38 degrees and 50% humidity. The pitch is likely to remain slow, as has been this season's trend, while the shorter boundaries would somewhat aid the batters. Winning the toss and batting first would be a good idea.

Probable XI
SRH: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma.
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran/Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood.

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Fantasy XI
Batters: Pandey, du Plessis (vc), Gaikwad- Du Plessis, and Gaikwad are sure to give an explosive start, while Pandey would consolidate in the middle-order. Du Plessis's deadly form makes him the deputy skipper.
Wicketkeeper: Saha- He is the one with better form than Dhoni and makes the cut.
All-rounders: Jadeja (c), Moeen, Curran- Jadeja has been the man in form in all departments, making him the skipper. While Moeen has been delivering with the bat, Curran has done the same with the ball and can contribute at the death with the bat.
Bowlers: Chahar, Thakur, Rashid, Khaleel- Rashid is a no-brainer here with the spin, while the remaining three have been lethal with their pace and would definitely make an impact.

Match details
Date and day: September 29, 2021 (Thursday)
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and Star Sports 1 Hindi (Also available in HD, along with regional languages)
Where to watch (Online): Hotstar

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