IPL 2023, CSK vs SRH: Chennai hopes for Ben Stokes boost ahead of Hyderabad clash
IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings host SunRisers Hyderabad on Friday. While both sides have had a contrasting season so far, the hosts would hope for Ben Stokes' boost for the encounter.
FollowFormer four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will hope its star allrounder Ben Stokes finally takes the field after recovering from his injury when it goes up against SunRisers Hyderabad in its 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium in Chennai on Friday. In a relief to CSK, Stokes, who suffered from a toe injury and missed three IPL matches, took part in the net practice on Wednesday after regaining fitness and is available for selection.
The England Test captain's return will be a big boost for CSK as it returns to its fortress following a close win over Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Its opponent Hyderabad, however, copped a defeat at the hands of former five-time record champion Mumbai Indians (MI). The Super Kings batters have been able to put up good scores, thanks to the starts provided by Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top, while the big-hitting Shivam Dube has managed a few impactful knocks.
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Ajinkya Rahane has been a revelation, batting with much freedom and going after opposition bowlers. Still, in an orthodox manner and though the rest of the batters have not done much, the crowd, especially in Chennai, will expect to see a vintage Dhoni uncorking some massive hits. While the CSK batting unit has been finding the runs, the bowlers must be more consistent and fielding below par.
Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana did an admirable job in the match against RCB, but the same cannot be said of the others, though Tushar Deshpande has improved with each game. CSK will be wary that they were trumped in the previous home game by former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR), losing by three runs as the middle-order could not force the pace leaving Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja too much to do at the end.
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The Super Kings will look to strangle SRH batters with spin as is their wont, and the trio of Theekshana, Jadeja and Moeen Ali could prove more than a handful. CSK has won four of its last five matches against Hyderabad, and the home team hopes to extend the run. SRH, on the other hand, would expect its batting unit to click, and the onus would be on captain Aiden Markram to rise to the occasion. The other batters in the line-up need to step up if Hyderabad hopes to upset CSK's applecart at Chepauk.
The loss of wickets in the PowerPlay (PP) has set SunRisers back, and head coach Brian Lara said after the defeat to MI that someone in the middle-order needs to bat deep and finish off games. The impressive Harry Brook will be the man to watch in the Hyderabad line-up, and if he gets going, he could prove a handful for the CSK bowlers. Local lad Washington Sundar, who plays for SRH, will be hoping to get a game and perform well in front at his home ground. He has been up and down while the bowling unit's inconsistency has hurt their chances.
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Squads
CSK: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & WK), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sisanda Magala, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Ahay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Subharnshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesa Pathirana, Mahesh Theekshana, Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Shaikh Rasheed and Tushar Deshpande.
SRH: Aiden Markram (c & wk), Abdul Samad, Rahul Tripathi, Glenn Phillips, Abhishek Sharma, Marco Jansen, Washington Sundar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kartik Tyagi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik, Harry Brook, Mayank Agarwal, Heinrich Klaasen, Adil Rashid, Mayank Markande, Vivrant Sharma, Samarth Vyas, Sanvir Singh, Upendra Yadav, Mayank Dagar, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Akeal Hosein and Anmolpreet Singh.
Match details
Date and day: April 21, 2023 (Friday)
Venue: MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium, Chennai
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema
