SRH vs CSK, Match 27 - Top player battles to watch out for

The Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) play host to the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 27 of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Saturday, April 18.

The 2016 champions come into the game on the back of a victory over previously unbeaten Rajasthan Royals. They defeated the Jaipur-based side by 57 runs after debutants Praful Hinge and Sakib Hussain took four wickets each to dismantle the opposition.

CSK, on the other hand, have found their feet in the IPL after winning two successive games, against the Delhi Capitals and the Kolkata Knight Riders. They defeated the latter by 32 runs on home soil thanks to Noor Ahmad’s three-wicket haul.

CSK’s in-form batting unit will take on a rejuvenated SRH bowling unit, comprising both Hussain and Hinge. The pair will be looking to trouble the likes of Sanju Samson, who recently scored his first hundred in the iconic yellow jersey. 

It will also be a tall order for CSK’s bowling department to curtail SRH’s free-scoring batting, particularly after Khaleel Ahmed’s injury.

Here are 3 player battles for SRH vs CSK, Match 27 of IPL 2026:

3. Sanju Samson vs Praful Hinge

A highly anticipated clash at the start of the innings after SRH’s previous game, an in-form Sanju Samson will come up against a fiery Praful Hinge. On debut, the 24-year-old pace bowler took three wickets in his first over, including scalps of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Dhruv Jurel.

Hinge will face his first real test in the IPL when he faces Samson on Saturday. The right-handed batter is known to attack the bowlers from the get-go, to make the most of the fielding restrictions. This will be the first time Samson will face Hinge in his professional career.