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The Indian Premier League (IPL) is heading into the business end of the tournament and the points table is shaping up nicely. Three-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will battle it out against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on Thursday, September 30.
CSK are sitting comfortably at the top of the points table with 16 points to their name and have the chance to seal their qualification spot officially. Meanwhile, SRH will be looking to build on their seven-wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals.
Ahead of a crucial encounter with plenty on the line for both sides, we take a look at three player match-ups that could be the ones to watch out for in this contest.
#1 SRH IPL 2021 skipper Kane Williamson vs Ravindra Jadeja
The SRH captain has been a mainstay of his side and will be looking to improve on his record against the Super Kings. Of CSK's main bowlers, only Bravo and Shardul Thakur have managed to get the better of Williamson on three occasions in the IPL.
Williamson's average against CSK in the IPL is 44.6, while he strikes at 144.7. He has simply been outstanding against the three-time champions. He has also dominated his match-up against Ravindra Jadeja. Williamson has scored 49 runs off 35 balls against Jadeja and has never been dismissed.
With SRH's middle order struggling in this year's IPL, Williamson will have to shoulder the burden of scoring runs for his side if they are to stay alive in this year's tournament.
#2 Rashid Khan vs MS Dhoni
After a lengthy lay-off from the game, the CSK skipper is still looking to find his groove this IPL season. It might be the perfect day for MSD to show what he's still got in the tank, against a team he absolutely loves to dominate at the death.
However, Captain Cool will have to avoid a certain Rashid Khan. His match-up against the Afghanistan leg-spinner doesn't make for good reading. Dhoni has scored only 23 runs in 32 balls against Rashid and has been dismissed once by the leggie.
If CSK can manage to evade this match-up, we might get a glimpse of some vintage MS Dhoni fireworks again in the IPL.
#3 Dwayne Bravo vs Wriddhiman Saha
Having played 500 T20 matches, there are more than a few match-ups Dwayne Bravo enjoys. The West Indian all-rounder has been a mainstay in the CSK side and still continues to be a handy bowling option for his skipper in the IPL.
Bravo doesn't usually bowl in the powerplay but his numbers against Wriddhiman Saha might mean that MS Dhoni turns to his all-rounder, especially considering how CSK have sometimes struggled to find the early breakthroughs.
Saha has scored only 30 runs in 33 deliveries off Bravo and has also been dismissed thrice. He averages just 11 against the West Indian at a strike of 110. Dhoni might just turn to his most-experienced all-rounder, who was rested for the previous game, to pile on the misery on SRH.
