IPL 2019: SRH vs CSK - Three things to look forward to

IPL 2019 has reached the halfway mark. By this time, we should get a fair idea about which teams would most likely make the playoffs. After winning two and one games respectively so far, RR and RCB look almost certain to be placed at the bottom of the table.

But the beauty of this season of the IPL and even the last season is that still no one is sure who the four teams would be to make the playoffs. With the thunderous and commanding start they have had to their campaign, CSK seem to be the only surety in the top four.

The southern derby featuring Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings tonight comes few days after India’s fifteen-member squad for the ICC Cricket World Cup was announced. With many of the World cup squad members featuring in tonight’s clash, it would add to the intensity and quality of the match on display.

SRH have known to be an extremely consistent franchise, but so far this season they have been far from consistent. Their regular skipper Kane Williamson made a return to the team post an injury in their last game, so they would be hoping he stabilizes and galvanizes the team against a formidable CSK.

CSK lost Dwayne Bravo to an injury, but the likes of Faf du Plessis and Mitchell Santner have come in and performed well. They are a team where most of the players know their roles very clearly, and with vast experience at their behest CSK have been imperious so far.

As a team looking to find its feet and get back to winning ways takes on table toppers CSK tonight, here’s looking at three moments we are eagerly looking forward to in this match.

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#1 We get to witness a plethora of World Cup stars in action

Australia v India - Game 3

With all the talk circulating about the squad announced by BCCI for the ICC Cricket World Cup, it’s only fair to be excited to see those players in action for their respective franchise. Yesterday we got to see KL Rahul and Mohammed Shami play for KXIP against RR.

Today we will get to witness a lot of players who are part of the World Cup squad in action. From SRH we can see how Vijay Shankar and Bhuvneshwar Kumar fare. And CSK has MS Dhoni, Kedhar Jadhav and Ravindra Jadeja.

Will the selection into the World Cup squad free them up? Especially, can Shankar and Bhuvi use this to put on a performance that could help SRH win tonight?

#2 Ambati Rayudu-Vijay Shankar face-off post the World Cup squad announcement

Time for Vijay Shankar to silence his credits and get his due( Credits: BCCI/ IPLT20.com)

A lot of experts lashed out at the national selection committee for choosing Vijay Shankar as the choice for the No. 4 position in the World Cup team instead of the expected Ambati Rayudu. Rayudu has found run-scoring rather hard of late, so it’s not a very big surprise that he finds himself left out.

Shankar on the other hand has been consistent in the opportunities he received in the side. The chief of selectors said Vijay Shankar offered a ‘three dimensional’ perspective and that’s why he has been preferred to Rayudu.

Rayudu didn’t take that in the right spirit and tweeted this recently:

Just Ordered a new set of 3d glasses to watch the world cup 😉😋..

— Ambati Rayudu (@RayuduAmbati) April 16, 2019

Clearly, Rayudu would look to take his disappointment of being left out of the showcase event tonight.

What would be extremely interesting to see is how Shankar goes about his business post a World Cup selection. It’s a chance of a lifetime and most definitely he would want to silence his critics in the remaining games for SRH before he flies out with the Indian team.

#3 Can Kane Williamson guide SRH back to winnings ways?

Kane Williamson( Picture Courtesy: BCCI/ IPLT20.com)

SRH found it tough when their regular skipper had to sit out most of their season so far with a shoulder injury. Instead of the obvious David Warner, they preferred to give Bhuvi the captaincy. It worked well to start off, but slowly the wheels started falling off.

A dip in form of their destructive openers David Warner and Jonny Bairstow, a middle order that was almost non-existent and the death bowling being far from the standards set by SRH have put them at a precarious sixth position with three wins in seven matches.

The sliver lining for them is the return of their icy cool skipper Kane Williamson. He made his return to the playing XI in their clash against DC where Kagiso Rabada and Keemo Paul blew them away. The fragility of their middle order has been brutally exposed in their last two defeats.

From a strategic and personal point of view for SRH, its good that Williamson is back as skipper. He will help in stabilizing the middle order and act as a calming factor in the middle. Also, Bhuvneshwar can be asked to focus completely on his bowling which may improve SRH’s rather dull bowling this year.

The question to be asked is can SRH upsurge CSK who haven’t put a foot wrong this season?