Sunrisers Hyderabad are riding high on the success of their new pace bowling duo, Praful Hinge and Sakib Husain, as they prepare to face Chennai Super Kings in a crucial IPL match.
Key Points
- Praful Hinge and Sakib Husain's impressive performances have boosted Sunrisers Hyderabad's pace attack.
- The young pace duo helped SRH bounce back after a poor start to the IPL season.
- CSK will need to reshuffle their pace attack due to Khaleel Ahmed's injury.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad's struggles with form could prompt CSK to make changes to their batting order.
Having unleashed two exciting pace prospects in Praful Hinge and Sakib Husain, a balanced Sunrisers Hyderabad will head into their IPL match against Chennai Super Kings with renewed confidence, in Hyderabad on Saturday.
Drafted in place of seasoned campaigners Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat, the uncapped duo made an instant impact, reducing Rajasthan Royals to 9 for 5 inside the first three overs, pushing them to their first loss of the season.
Emergence Of Praful Hinge
The 24-year-old Vidarbha pacer Hinge has been the standout bowler after dismantling the Royals' top-order consisting Dhruv Jurel, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and skipper Riyan Parag in his fiery first two overs. He finished with 4/34.
Generating bounce from a back-of-a-length spot, Hinge was impressive, while Husain, an unheralded 21-year-old from Bihar who was previously overlooked by Kolkata Knight Riders, complimented him well on debut.
Using clever variations in the middle overs, Husain also returned with four wickets as Rajasthan were bowled out for 159 while chasing 216.
SRH's Improved Pace Attack
The emergence of the young duo has lifted SRH's pace attack, which had been a concern early in the season, and brought better balance to a side otherwise loaded with batting firepower in Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen.
Fresh from their breakout performances, Hinge and Husain will look to pile more pressure on CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has struggled for runs this season. His highest so far is 28 across five innings.
CSK's Strategy and Challenges
However, there is some relief for CSK with Sanju Samson rediscovering his T20 World Cup form, smashing an unbeaten century against Delhi Capitals and following it up with a 48 in their win over Kolkata Knight Riders.
With Gaikwad out of touch, CSK could consider pushing him down the order and promoting young Ayush Mhatre, who has impressed with two fifties in his last four innings.
After a poor start with three consecutive defeats, the five-time champions -- still without Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who is expected to be fit for the next game in Mumbai -- have bounced back with two successive wins.
However, their bowling resources have taken a hit with left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed ruled out of the season due to a quadriceps injury sustained in the win over KKR.
Already missing Dhoni and Nathan Ellis, CSK will need to reshuffle their pace attack, with Mukesh Choudhary emerging as a like-for-like new-ball option, while Ramakrishna Ghosh is also another alternative.
After losing three of their first four matches, SRH have bounced back in style at home, and the emergence of the young pace duo will further boost their confidence.
CSK too carry new-found momentum with back-to-back wins and will aim to re-strategise following the loss of Khaleel and secure their first away victory of the season in a crucial mid-table contest.
The performance of uncapped players like Hinge and Husain is crucial for team balance under IPL rules that limit foreign players. Expect both teams to closely monitor the pitch conditions in Hyderabad, which could favour either pace or spin depending on the amount of moisture.
SRH vs CSK Head to Head
CSK and SRH have faced each other 22 times in the IPL. CSK have the upper hand having won 15 matches, while SRH have registered 7 victories.
Weather and Pitch Report
The forecast says it is going to be a hot and humid evening. The humidity will impact the second innings, with the dew factor coming into play.
Another batting friendly surface where runs are up for grabs. There will be some assistance for pacers, but expect a big score with the team batting second expected to go home victors.
Predicted Playing XI
SRH: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Shivang Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga
CSK: Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurjapneet Singh.
Match Info
April 18, 7.30pm IST: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings, Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad
Where to watch: The match will be broadcast live on Star Sports channels; JioHotstar will stream the match in multiple languages.
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