IPL 2021: Beleaguered Sunrisers face formidable Chennai

Mumbai - It's going to take something special from SRH to get the better of Dhoni's men

How Sunrisers Hyderabad fare in this match against the Chennai Super Kings depends on whether they’ve been able to overcome the trauma of losing the previous match to the Delhi Capitals in the Super Over.

The Sunrisers put up a gritty fight against the Capitals, but in the end, some basic errors led to the Super Over heartbreak.

Asking Kane Williamson, visibly fatigued after anchoring his team for a long period of time, to also play the Super Over put too much pressure on the batsman. Jonny Bairstow, who had batted superbly earlier, should have been the one to walk out with captain David Warner.

Then the captain himself made an error, running one run short, which gave DC the match. Otherwise, the match would have gone into another Super Over, and who knows how that might have panned out?

Such inattention – and obviously ill luck too – can take a heavy toll on a team. Players tend to lose more confidence when they end up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

How well Warner and others in the upper echelons of SRH team management have been able to manage the demoralizing effect of the loss remains to be seen.

Purely in the cricketing aspect, the big issue for SRH is the lack of batting wherewithal after the top three – Warner, Bairstow, Williamson. This has been evident from the first match. This is a glaring weakness and the Chennai Super Kings will aim to get the three overseas stars early to take control.

With the top order and all-rounders in cracking form, CSK have posted some big scores this season. Ravindra Jadeja was simply sensational in the previous match against the RCB, smashing 37 runs off a Harshal Patel over. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Sam Curran, Ambati Rayudu have all looked in good nick.

While batsmen usually get more attention, CSK’s bowling has been as effective. Deepak Chahar has been outstanding in opening spells, his late swing helping pick up early wickets. Spinners Jadeja, Moeen Ali and Imran Tahir have excelled in the middle overs, while Dwayne Bravo-Shardul Thakur have not given away too much in the death.

In every match, CSK have found one or two players to pull them out of tight situations with fine performance, with bat or ball.

Captain MS Dhoni is the only player seeking rhythm and timing with the bat. But he has been terrific as captain, managing the talent at his disposal quite superbly.

There is no discernible weakness in CSK as such currently. One hitch, though, could be adjusting and adapting to a new venue, Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.

This is the first match of the tournament in Delhi, and how the pitch will play is unknown. But this applies to both teams.

But it’s going to take something special from SRH to get the better of Dhoni’s men on Wednesday.

Players To Watch Out For:

CSK: Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Deepak Chahar

SRH: Kane Williamson, Rashid Khan, Jonny Bairstow

Wednesday’s match

Chennai vs Hyderabad

6pm UAE Time

• IPL 2024