Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Chennai Super Kings: SRH pace attack against fragile Dhoni-led CSK 

Sunrisers Hyderabad stands fourth in the points table after scoring five wins out of eight matches. After suffering a heartbreaking loss from Gujarat Titans in their previous game, they will be taking the field against CSK. The team has a boost in the form of feisty pacers like Umran Malik, T Natarajan, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Opener Abhishek Sharma's form is a good sign for the team, whereas Kane Williamson looks to be struggling a bit. Umran Malik has scalped 15 wickets till now and is running in top contention for the Purple cap race. 

On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings have won two games out of eight and are sitting at the second last spot in the points table. The team is struggling with their momentum, but the season isn't over yet, and Thalla is back as captain. Though they lost their previous match against Punjab Kings, the form of Ambati Rayudu has been a positive takeaway from it. Their bowling is a bit inconsistent, and to no surprise, their most experienced bowler Dwayne Bravo is the leading wicket-taker for the franchise. Ravindra Jadeja, who was appointed as captain just before the commencement of the season, has stepped down from the role as he has decided to focus on his game. It came as good news for all the CSK fans as MS Dhoni will be back leading the side.

Pitch Report

The teams batting first have won the last two matches at this venue. The pitch is expected to remain balanced and have something for both the batters and the bowlers. Dew doesn't seem to be an important factor; hence the toss winning skipper might opt to bat first and post a huge total on the scoreboard.

Probable Playing XI

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana

Stats to keep an eye on

• Among batters to have scored a minimum of 50 runs, Ruturaj Gaikwad (12.8) and Kane Williamson (15.8) have the worst and fourth-worst batting averages this IPL.
• MS Dhoni averages 53.3 against Sunrisers in the IPL.
• This season, Aiden Markram has crossed the 40-run mark in four out of the six innings.

It will be interesting to see if Sunrisers Hyderabad will be able to replicate their performance from the previous fixture against CSK and win it. Or MS Dhoni back as captain will change the franchise's fate and lead them to a competitive win.