IPL 2022: Predicting the 3 highest wicket-takers in SRH vs CSK match

Match 46 of IPL 2022 pits Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Sunday (1 May). While SRH are fourth in the IPL point table, CSK are languishing in ninth spot with their season on the line.

The game marks the return of MS Dhoni as captain of the Super Kings, with Ravindra Jadeja handing the baton back to the veteran keeper-batter in a bid to focus on his game. CSK face an uphill task to qualify for the playoffs, needing to win each of their remaining six fixtures and also depending on other results to go their way.

SRH are riding high on the back of their relentless bowling unit. While they failed to defend 195 against the Gujarat Titans (GT) a few days ago, they will bank on their bowlers to deliver the goods again.

CSK, on the other hand, have looked better on the bowling front than they did when the tournament began. But the defending champions will have to pick up wickets on a more consistent basis.

On that note, we will try to predict the three highest wicket-takers in tonight's clash.

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#1 Umran Malik - SRH's X-factor

The only wicket-taker for SRH in their last encounter against GT, Umran Malik has lit up IPL 2022 with his velocity. Batters have become accustomed to hearing the death rattle behind them, with Malik shattering the stumps for fun.

Quite a few CSK batters tend to struggle against well-directed short deliveries. Given that Malik is arguably the fastest bowler in the competition, facing his thunderbolts will be as daunting a task as it gets for them.

The 22-year-old has been on a wicket-taking spree in IPL 2022 and sits third in the IPL Purple Cap race. Expect him to add to that tally tonight at the MCA Stadium, with the bounce off the surface set to assist him.

Catch the next match on the IPL timetable 2022 here.

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#2 Mukesh Choudhary - CSK's powerplay exponent

Mukesh Choudhary has grown from strength to strength with each passing game in IPL 2022. After all, fancy having the likes of Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Kane Williamson as some of the wickets you've picked up this season!

With his left-arm angle, Choudhary has looked effective with the new ball every time there has been some movement on offer. While he went wicketless in the game against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), he sent down his yorkers more often than not. In fact, he conceded just nine runs in the 17th over against Punjab, showcasing his potential to bowl at the death as well.

With conditions expected to aid swing-bowling with the new ball, Choudhary should be amongst the wickets against SRH. Not only will he be chomping at the bit of prizing out Kane Williamson's prized scalp again, but he will also have to stop a red-hot Abhishek Sharma at the top of the order. Don't be surprised if he plays a big role in tonight's clash.

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#3 T Natarajan

With 15 scalps to his name, T Natarajan has gotten into a happy habit of picking up wickets on a consistent basis. That he delivers tough overs at the back end of the innings and the last over of the powerplay more often than not makes him an invaluable asset for SRH.

Natarajan returned figures of 2/30 off his four overs against CSK earlier this season. Coming into tonight's clash on the back of a tough outing against GT, the left-armer from Tamil Nadu will be keen to set things right. That he will go up against the likes of Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni in the death overs means that the 'Yorker King' holds the aces for SRH.

Given that there is a tendency for wickets to fall in the slog-overs, expect Natarajan to get into his element during that phase. That he has managed to generate movement with a relatively new ball too puts him in the mix to come out of this contest with enough wickets against his name.