IPL 2018: Match 46, CSK vs SRH - Chennai Super Kings Predicted XI

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have lost their way a bit in the last few days and would be seeking a settled look soon heading into the playoffs. They also need to seal their place in the knockout stages as they lost their game the other night against the Rajasthan Royals (RR). This time though they are facing tougher opponents in Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) who are on a rampage literally and are looking like an unbeatable side. They have qualified to the playoffs already and the Men in Yellow would like to do the same now.

MS Dhoni was visibly frustrated with the bowling and fielding of his players in Jaipur and would be expecting a better effort from them in this game. The things are getting tighter now and the team would be eager to get their much-needed eighth victory under the belt and be safe. But they have to show better application on the field and with the bowl as the teams have figured out their weakness perfectly.

Here we bring you the predicted XI of CSK for this game:

Openers (Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson)

Ambati Rayudu endured a rare failure for his team in the last game against the Royals and he would be aware of not losing his touch at the crucial stage of the tournament. Even the team seems to have stopped experimenting with his position and is set to open the innings for the rest of the matches now. There should be no worry over his form as of now and even he will be confident of coming good in this game given he had pummelled 79 runs against them when these two teams met last.

Shane Watson has constantly scored runs at the top of the order and os the most effective at the top of the order. he loves playing the fast bowling and gets an opportunity to settle in until the spinners are introduced into the attack. He has amassed 367 runs so far in this season and is striking at 153.56 which is absolutely amazing on his part. He even chips in with a couple of crucial overs and Dhoni hasn’t overused him so far keeping him fresh every time.

Middle Order (Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni (c & wk))

Suresh Raina has found his groove at the right time and is looking sublime in his batting now. The 52-run knock in Jaipur was a good one for his confidence and a more vintage Raina is expected to come to the fore now. His contribution on the field could never be discounted as he saves many runs with acrobatics. Sam Billings has done enough to retain his place in the side and should get another chance in the playing XI. He is one of the best fielders in the team and Dhoni would prefer him at least for the game against the Sunrisers.

MS Dhoni is the second highest run-getter for CSK this season and he has scored all his runs at a magical strike rate of 163.75. The average of 98.25 is absolutely unreal which shows he has finished games more often than not for his side and has led from the front whenever needed. He is batting at 4 now and should continue batting well for his team’s cause. With the playoffs approaching, Dhoni’s form would be huge for the Men in Yellow.

All-Rounders (Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja)

Ravindra Jadeja is actually there in the team to bowl which is confirmed now. He has not been promoted to bat nowadays and his skipper is using him with the ball more. Jaddu is also looking more effective with his tight lines and the surfaces are becoming increasingly slower as the tournament is progressing. But he will have to be ready with the bat at any stage going forward and might have to play a crucial role at crunch moments.

Dwayne Bravo has lost his sheen unfortunately which is worrying his captain a lot now. He is missing his lines quite often and is being hit for maximums at the death easily. But he is a champion cricketer and knows there are tough times for the bowlers in T20 cricket. With so much experience behind him, Bravo will surely come back when it matters the most.

Bowlers (David Willey, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur)

David Willey was tried at the death in the last game and went for few runs but not many. He is a worthy bowler and should not be dropped for a couple more matches at least. It is important for him to bowl to the field and his best might just be around the corner. Harbhajan Singh, despite going for runs, bowled well to scalp the key wicket of Ben Stokes which pegged back the opposition a little bit. There is no question of dropping the veteran and should be back to bowling his four-over spell in Pune.

Deepak Chahar is back on the field practising and this is the right time for CSK to bring him in the side. Karn Sharma is literally playing no role in the team by bowling just one over and Chahar should replace him in the next match. The new ball suits him and Dhoni would be relieved after having him back as well. Shardul Thakur wasn’t used in the death overs against the Royals and he was excellent in the middle overs keeping a lid on the run-scoring. His role might have been defined and has to show some consistency now.

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