Published: May 07, 2013, 01:30 PM (IST)
Edited: May 07, 2013, 01:30 PM (IST)
Sunrisers have 14 points from 11 matches, a win would take them closer to a berth in the IPL semifinals © IANS
By S Janakiram
Hyderabad: May 7, 2013
Enjoying an unbeaten run at home, Sunrisers Hyderabad would be faced with a stiff challenge when they take on former champions and table-toppers Chennai Super Kings in the 54th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match at Hyderabad.
Sunrisers have 14 points from 11 matches and a win would take them closer to a berth in the IPL semifinals.
The Chennai Super Kings, who have own the title twice before, are at the top of the points table despite a humiliating defeat at the hands of Mumbai Indians in their previous match.
After winning a record-equalling seven matches in a row, CSK endured a miserable outing in Mumbai where Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men were sent packing for a paltry 80, which was the season’s lowest team total.
It came as a wake-up call for CSK, who would be expected to bounce back immediately given the presence of high-profile and in-form players in their ranks.
In an indication of his team’s readiness to learn from mistakes quickly, Dhoni, in fact, expressed happiness that the defeat came during the round-robin stage.
“I think it was a good wake-up call for us. With a few more games to go, we got it at the right time,” Dhoni said.
Chennai’s batting line-up comprising Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina and Dhoni himself is the envy of other IPL teams.
In the bowling department, CSK boast of Albie Morkel, Mohit Sharma, Ravichandran Ashwin, Chris Morris and Dwayne Bravo. All of them have done their bit and would be quite a handful for the Hyderabad batsmen.
However, Hyderabad have also been impressive, especially at home. With their collective effort, they clinched thrilling wins against formidable teams such as Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Sunrisers undoubtedly have the best bowling attack in the form of world’s top bowler Dale Steyn, Ishant Sharma and Amit Mishra, who is one of the highest wicket-takers in IPL 2013. The in-form Karan Sharma has also added to the bowling strength.
Batting had been a major area of concern for the Hyderabad side, but that has also shown marked improvement after injured Shikhar Dhawan and West Indies Captain Darren Sammy joined the team and struck form immediately.
Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera has been quite useful with both ball and bat and young Hyderabad batsman G H Vihari chipped in with some significant contributions.
Captain Kumar Sangakkara’s poor batting, however, continues to be a massive headache.
