IPL 2020: Match 14, CSK vs SRH – SRH Predicted Playing XI

After back-to-back losses, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) got back on track in the game against the Delhi Capitals (DC). They made some tough calls for this match and it worked out in their favour. They put up a decent total on the board with the bat first followed by a clinical performance with the ball resulting in a 15-run win.

In their upcoming match, SRH will be taking on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The Sunrisers do not have a great record against this opposition having won only 3 games out of 12 thus far. Moreover, the 5th bowling option is still a concern for them given that Abhishek Sharma has taken that job up now and they do not have a reliable 6th option either. If the opposition is in a good position, they can really go after someone like Abhishek. Will this issue prompt them to make a few changes or will they continue with the same eleven for the upcoming game?

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Sunrisers Hyderabad for CSK vs SRH:

Openers (Jonny Bairstow (wk), David Warner (c))

Jonny Bairstow registered two half-centuries in three games thus far. However, his performances haven’t been really convincing. His strike rate is just about 118 and he failed to make it big after getting past that 50-run mark. If the wicket-keeper batsman is taking some time early on, he should ensure that he stays in the middle right till the end and accelerate in the last few overs.

David Warner’s form also has been a bit of a concern. By form, it is implied that the comparison to the performances in the previous seasons. He hasn’t been as consistent this year even though he got the starts. In the last two matches, he was involved in pretty soft dismissals. While he dollied one back to Varun Chakravarthy against KKR, he got out while trying to reverse sweep in the last match. The skipper needs to play the long innings if SRH is to win more games.

Middle Order (Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Priyam Garg)

Manish Pandey missed out in the last match as he got just 3 runs. Batting at three, even he has got a huge role to play. With Kane Williamson to follow, he can look to score some quick runs and be more aggressive. His strike rate thus far in the tournament is only 116. Kane Williamson has been a fine addition to the side. He got a quickfire 41 in the last game and his form is a great positive for SRH. The team would hope that he carries on with such performances.

Abdul Samad looked very good in his debut game and smashed a four and a six. While it is too early to judge, the youngster looks to be a great prospect and can be a huge asset if he can deliver consistently. Abhishek Sharma and Priyam Garg will complete the middle-order. The former has been doing a decent job with his part-time bowling and SRH might trust him to bowl 4 overs once again. He can also hit a few big shots. Priyam can be used as per the situation of the game and even he is capable of rolling his arm over if the need arises. If Vijay Shankar is fit, he could replace Garg.

Bowlers (Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed)

Rashid Khan is at his best when the opposition is trying to attack him. In the first two games, teams were smart enough and hardly took any chances against him. But the Capitals fancied taking a few chances and hence conceded 3 wickets to the leggie. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, meanwhile, has been delivering some economical overs. He picked up a couple of wickets in the last match.

T Natarajan will continue in the side and has been executing the yorkers fabulously. SRH will bank on him to bowl more and more overs at the death. Khaleel Ahmed, however, has got a huge scope of improvement. He was quite expensive against the Delhi Capitals (DC) conceding 43 runs in 4 overs. The Sunrisers might give him another opportunity to assess his form and performance.