IPL 2024, CSK vs SRH: Hyderabad Win Toss, Opt To Field As Chennai Eye Redemption; Check Playing XIs

Chennai: In the 46th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Chepauk on Sunday.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men have faltered in their last two outings, both against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). However, they’ll fancy their chances against an SRH side that has struggled on slow pitches. Hyderabad’s batting woes were evident in their recent loss to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where they failed to chase down a modest target of 207 runs.

Despite the recent setback, SRH remain comfortably placed at third in the points table. A win in Chennai would provide them with a crucial cushion in the race for the playoffs. However, their batting, particularly the form of Aiden Markram (167 runs in 8 matches), remains a cause for concern.

All eyes will be on Gaikwad, who scored a century in the last match against LSG, though it ended in defeat. Gaikwad’s leadership skills are still questioned, and he aims to address this against SRH. Meanwhile, SRH’s Aiden Markram’s poor form, with just 167 runs from 8 matches at a strike rate of 132.54, is a concern. Glenn Phillips could be a replacement option for SRH.

In head-to-head encounters, CSK has dominated SRH, winning 14 out of 20 matches.

The pitch at Chepauk is expected to be drier, favouring CSK’s strengths. Coach Stephen Fleming indicated a desire to shift away from the six-hitting trend prevalent in IPL matches.

Playing XIs

Chennai Super Kings: Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana

CSK Impact Subs: Sameer Rizvi, Shardul Thakur, Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen(w), Nitish Reddy, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins(c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaydev Unadkat, T Natarajan

SRH Impact Subs: Umran Malik, Mayank Markande, Anmolpreet Singh, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar