IPL 2018: 5 reasons why Sunrisers Hyderabad will beat Chennai Super Kings

Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Kolkata Knight Riders in the Qualifier 2 at the Eden Gardens on Friday, to meet the Chennai Super Kings in the finals of the tournament. IPL fans are aware of CSK’s record in the IPL and especially in the playoffs. They are capable of winning almost lost games, as was seen in the qualifier 1 against the same opponents, Sunrisers Hyderabad, last week.

However, there is something about this team from the South, which can elude Chennai from their third IPL trophy.

Here are 5 reasons why Kane Williamson can get the better off MS Dhoni.

#5 Best bowling attack of IPL

Rashid Khan has been the trump card for SRH this season

Undoubtedly, the Hyderabad team has the best bowling attack of this year’s IPL. Rashid Khan, as aforementioned already, has been simply brilliant. He has foxed the best in the business with his unplayable deliveries.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been brilliant as always in the death overs, while Siddarth Kaul has also evolved as a crucial bowler for the team. Khan and Kaul both have 21 wickets each this season and that proves how crucial they are to Hyderabad’s quest for their second IPL trophy.

Khan, memorably, had clean-bowled MS Dhoni in the qualifier 1.

#4 Good fielding

Manish Pandey saves a boundary in one of the league games

Not just the batting and bowling, Sunrisers’ fielding too has been great this season. Shikhar Dhawan has taken the most number of catches this season – 12 – out of which 2 were spectacular. Wriddhiman Saha has been very effective with the gloves and Rashid Khan, too, is an athletic fielder who gives his best to save every run possible.

One of the major reasons for Hyderabad’s success this season has been their fielding, which stopped many runs and caused big collapses.

#3 Impressive batting line-up

The Sunrisers boast of a long batting line-up

Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Shikhar Dhawan, Shakib Al Hasan, Deepak Hooda, Yusuf Pathan, Carlos Brathwaite, and now Rashid Khan too!

The Sunrisers have a long and impressive batting line-up, which can take them to a big and competitive total. Yusuf Pathan and Brathwaite can chip in with some crucial quick runs, while the others can stabilize the innings with responsible partnerships.

#2 Kane Williamson’s captaincy

Kane Williamson has been brilliant, both as a captain and batsman

Kane Williamson’s spot-on captaincy has been one of the main reasons behind Sunrisers Hyderabad’s good campaign this year. The Kiwi skipper was handed the baton after Australia’s David Warner was banned from this season, following the ball-tampering scandal. Williamson has responsibly led the side, as was evident in his side qualifying for the playoffs with nine wins.

He has made some great captaincy moves, which includes benching some star players and trusting the lesser-trusted ones. Individually too, Williamson’s performances have been great this season.

He is currently the highest run-scorer, with 688 runs in 16 games.

#1 Rashid Khan – the trump card

Bowling, batting, and fielding - Excelling in all 3 departments

The qualifier 2 between KKR and SRH was when Afghanistan’s spin sensation Rashid Khan proved himself to be a complete all-rounder and a match-winner. In fact, if not for Rashid’s performance alone, the game was tailor-made for KKR’s victory. He has taken 21 wickets this season at an economy of 6.78.

Not just that, he scored a 10-ball 34 in the qualifier 2 to take his side to a formidable total. And to top it all, his fielding has been equally good. Even the best batsman fail to judge Rashid’s deliveries and would prefer to just let play him out during his overs, instead of risking a wicket.