With SRH’s propensity to surpass and set their own hitting records, one of the main concerns for bowling think-tanks this season is how to halt their power-hitting. It has been suggested that spin may be a strategy, especially in light of their most recent matchup with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Although they still have some strong options for spin-hitting, the fact that Travis Head has been dismissed four times in six innings against spin lends some credibility to that argument.
Their effective opening combination, which features an explosive Head setting up games unlike any other opening combo this season and Abhishek Sharma being fluent against both sorts of bowling, has been a major contributing role. They have not only scored at the top rate of 12.78, but they have also accumulated the most runs (454 runs) of any starting combo.
It’s more than midway through the season, and at this point in an IPL match, the wearisome surfaces usually start to factor the spinners into the equation more and more. Chennai Super Kings, who have historically amassed a strong home record on the strength of their spin capabilities, would also have this expectation.
But at this point, the arrival of dew has presented a challenge to their preparations. It was a major contributing element in their home-field defeat by the Lucknow Super Giants. Pace has been a much more important factor in Chennai this season than spin, and it has reinforced a general pattern in Chennai thus far.
With nine wickets, the fewest by any club this season, CSK’s other problem has been their inability to penetrate high in the powerplay.
With these odds piled against them, CSK takes on the formidable SRH, who had a setback in their previous match. SRH would also have a great chance to improve their dismal away record (three losses in five games), as CSK has recently struggled at home for the first time. As the campaign draws to a close, it might completely change the dynamics if they can add another defeat to CSK’s record.
When: April 28, Sunday, 19:30 IST
Where: Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium
What to anticipate: As CSK’s head coach urged them to play to their strengths, the field may be drier. But there was a lot of dew settling during the last game at the location, which made spinners useless.
Head-to-head: 6 SRH – 14 CSK
Groups
Chennai Premier League
Injuries/unavailability: Ajinkya Rahane is expected to be fit and continue playing as the opener despite a niggle that hindered his batting a few games back.
Strategies/match-ups: Moeen Ali up front in the powerplay is probably a choice for CSK given their lackluster pace performance thus far. He also presents a favorable match-up option against the left-handed starting pair of SRH.
Possible starting XI: Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, and Ravindra Jadeja. [Sub: Shardul Thakur, Impact]
Hyderabad’s Sunrisers
Injuries and availability: SRH is not a cause for worry at this time.
Strategies/match-ups: Pat Cummins may have to consider when to use spin, especially when it comes to countering Shivam Dube, who can be stopped by either T Natarajan or himself depending on where he enters the game, given his skill against spin and SRH’s current inefficiency in that area (highest economy rate for spinners at 11.79).
The probable starting eleven are: Pat Cummins, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat, Abdul Samad, Travis Head, Aiden Markram, Nitish Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, and Abhishek Sharma. [Subject Impact: T Natarajan]
Were you aware?
– SRH has four previous opportunities to defeat CSK in the MA Chidambaram Stadium, but has never done so.
– T Natarajan has taken seven wickets in the 16 to 20 over range this season, with an E/R of 9.30.
What they expressed
The majority of Indian spinners who are now in play are having trouble spinning the ball. They are bowling a little faster, so that is the primary criterion, and there is no departure. As you can see, during practice, batters are accustomed to throw-downs and power hits. As a result, even if the ball is hitting at a speed of 85 to 90 mph straight, their muscle memory will have previously been trained to handle it. Muttiah Muralitharan, spin bowling coach for SRH, evaluates the lack of success for spinners in the IPL 2023: “If it deviates, brain does not know how to react, so that’s why spinners must learn how to spin the ball then they have a better chance.”
