SRH vs CSK Preview: Hyderabad, Chennai clash in a southern derby

The action will continue in the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024) as Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on each other in Match 18 on Friday, April 05 at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad. Sunrisers are coming into the game having lost their previous fixture against Gujarat Titans (GT).

They began their campaign with a narrow four-run loss against Kolkata Knight Riders but made a brilliant comeback with a 31-run win over Mumbai after posting the highest score in the tournament’s history (277/3). The Pat Cummins-led side is ranked sixth on the points table with one win from three matches having two points to their name.

On the other hand, CSK suffered their first loss of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC) in their previous fixture. Under the leadership of new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, CSK got off to a good start winning the first two games against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Gujarat Titans (GT). They’re ranked third on the points table with two wins from three matches having four points to their name.

Pitch Report

In the only game played at the venue so far, SRH shattered record books as they posted the highest total in the history of the competition of 277/3 in their allotted 20 overs. In reply, MI was also in the game for the major part of the second innings before captain Pat Cummins pulled things back with his tight bowling. The surface will be once again expected to be a belter of a track for batting and hence the captain winning the toss will look to bat first and bring the opposition under pressure by posting a huge score.

Probable Playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

Mayank Agarwal, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Aiden Markram, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pat Cummins (c), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat

Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman