IPL 2023: 3 Key Match-Ups to Watch-Out in CSK VS SRH Match No.29

IPL 2023: IPL’s Southern Derby comes to Chennai as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, April 21. When it comes to the head-to-head record between the two teams, CSK has outplayed the Orange Army in the rivalry so far, winning 14 out of 19 matches. SRH has managed to record just five wins against CSK in the IPL.

The MS Dhoni-led team is coming into this game on the back of a famous win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) away from their home. Coming back to their home, they would love to record another win. In the last game against RCB, Chennai found many heroes such as Devon Conway, Shivam Dube, Tushar Deshpande, and Matheesha Pathirana. After the emphatic win in Bengaluru, CSK is likely to go unchanged against SRH with Ben Stokes still expected to be unavailable for this game through injury. Despite injury concerns in the CSK camp, the Yellow Army will be confident of putting on a good show in front of the home crowd.

SRH led by Aiden Markram is fresh from their third loss of the campaign. The Orange Army has won 2 of 5. They started their campaign with two losses but gained momentum after winning two back-to-back matches. However, they went down in their previous game against Mumbai Indians. MI posted a total of 192 runs and SRH couldn’t chase the target as they fell short by 14 runs. Surprisingly, Umran Malik faced the snub ahead in the last match against the Mumbai Indians. It will be interesting to see what will be their combination for the forthcoming clash considering the slow conditions in Chennai. Adil Rashid could be back in place of Marco Jansen.

IPL 2023: Top Player Battles to Keep an Eye on in CSK VS SRH Game:

3) Shivam Dube vs Mayank Markande 

Dube scored his first half-century of the season against RCB, amassing 52 runs in 27 deliveries. He was at his destructive best as he took apart the RCB bowlers and provided the much-needed momentum to the team with the bat. He would look to build upon his knock in the upcoming game. There’s no secret that Dube likes taking the attack on the spinners, however, there is a risk factor involved with it. Leg-spinner Mayank Markande has fared well for SRH this season, scalping six wickets in just three games. But has struggled against left-handed batters which makes this duel an interesting one.

2) Harry Brook vs Maheesh Theekshana

The first centurion of IPL 2023, Harry Brook can do some real damage with the bat. So far he has scored 129 runs at an average of 43. Barring one inning, he hasn’t looked at his absolute best. Brook enjoys tackling fast bowlers and his strike rate of 163.6 is a testimony of the same, but he struggles against the spinner as his strike rate comes down to around 130. One of the most talented and quality T20 spinners presently, Maheesh Theekshana missed the initial few days but he is back and CSK would be hoping that he has another stellar season with the ball. Theekshana bowls the tough overs- in the powerplay and the death as well. Brook, who struggles against spin, will be challenged by Theekshana’s mystery.

1) Aiden Markram vs Ravindra Jadeja

The skipper of SRH Aiden Markram has been in fine form with the bat in the last few outings. He has made 109 runs in four games at an average of 36.33 and a strike rate of 167.69 including one half-century. Markram will be eyeing a big score Ravindra Jadeja will look to send him back cheaply. Jadeja has been one of the excellent performers for the Super Kings with the ball. He has taken six wickets in five games at an average of 20, an economy of 7.05, and a strike rate of 17. CSK’s left-arm spinner Jadeja has been prolific in the middle overs and he will enjoy bowling to right-handed Markram on a pitch that is likely to aid the spinners. This matchup could decide the fate of the game.