IPL 2020
Rayudu’s return will bolster CSK’s hitting. © BCCI
“All offers are on the table at the moment until we find a way that we are comfortable with,” Stephen Fleming said at the end of his team’s loss to Delhi Capitals in Dubai. Since then, they’ve had six-day downtime to plan and chart their way out of an unfamiliar position – the bottom of the scoreboard. Fleming’s comments were about finding the right team mix for the season ahead after being twice outbid in two games.
One of the biggest challenges for all teams entering this season has been not only identifying their best XI players, but also being able to quickly recalibrate their findings based on where they play. The IPL in India still came with the luxury of seven home games, around which teams and squads are built, while the away games also had a sense of familiarity, considering the venues at stake. The three UAE venues, at least in this early leg of the season, are making teams work harder behind the scenes.
CSK’s problems have been compounded by the fact that they played the first game in two of the three venues and had no previous data on which to base their strategies. Dew has also played hide and seek in all three venues, playing by the decisions captains make in the toss. What has perhaps been most discouraging for Dhoni is the inability of his spinners to take control of matches in between. The ineffectiveness of Ravindra Jadeja in particular [2/42, 0/40, 0/44] has hit CSK, leaving them vulnerable to a counterattack in the aftermath of PowerPlay.
The Hyderabad Sunrisers have also been slow to get their engine running, ranking ahead of CSK at the table only on the basis of a higher Net Execution Rate. While CSK’s quest for balance is not without reason, SRH has actually put up the flip side of being very rigid about it. Until his win against Delhi Capitals, Kane Williamson stayed on the bench so SRH could line up two foreign players on either end of the lineup to complement a rather inexperienced middle order. That ploy, as good as it is on paper, was ripped apart by both RCB and KKR. Williamson stepped to the side for his game against an undefeated DC, and immediately showed the benefits of that move.
Six days since Fleming responded to the need for clarity and to ignore confusing thoughts, he sounded quite optimistic about the time he spent out of action and expressed relief that he had a consistent series of games in the same place (four of the next five CSK games in Dubai). What remains to be seen is whether CSK can shake off the groggy start and put all of its back-end efforts to good use as the games quickly progress into October.
When: Chennai Super Kings vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, October 2, 2020, 7:30 pm IST
Where: Dubai International Stadium
What to expect: Of the six games played in Dubai, four have been won by the teams that hit first and the other two have been decided by Super Overs. CSK himself considered taking the bat route first in his last game, against DC in Dubai, but decided against doing so in anticipation of the spray, which never appeared. If that continues, wait for a change in posture.
Team news
Super Kings of Chennai
Ambati Rayudu will be back to reinforce the higher order, but there are plenty of selection headaches for the CSK think tank. Dhoni spoke about the lack of ‘steam’ at the top of the order, which could signal the end of the road for Murali Vijay for now. Ruturaj Gaikwad has appeared at No. 4 and No. 5 in both games so far, but is a starter for his state team in national competitions, finishing second in the running tally at Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 in 2019. He could line up alongside Shane Watson at the top of the order.
Fleming confirmed Dwayne Bravo is fit and available for the draft, but picking him doesn’t seem like an easy move. Sam Curran has done more than just warm up the seat for the West Indies, playing a crucial cameo with the bat in the team’s only win, and he has proven to be a useful resource for bowling at both ends of the innings.
There’s also the task of bringing in the top 2019 IPL wicket catcher, Imran Tahir, who has spent the first three games of the season on the bench. After the last game, Dhoni hinted at the possibility of playing a sixth bowling option, as Rayudu’s return will bring balance to the top half of the lineup.
Probable XI: Shane Watson, Murali Vijay / Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav / Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazlewood / Imran Tahir
Hyderabad sunrises
The inclusion of Williamson straightened out his batting mess and paved the way for an SRH-stamped victory, where bowlers made a target seem bigger than it was to the chasing side. This despite having only five bowling options in their lineup.
If Vijay Shankar is back in shape, he could replace Priyam Garg and provide some breathing room in the bowling department.
Probable XI: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Priyam Garg / Vijay Shankar, Abdul Samad, Abhishek Sharma, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Khaleel Ahmed
Did you know:
– CSK has won 9 of 12 IPL meetings against SRH
– MS Dhoni is only two out of 100 IPL captures by a goalkeeper
– Ambati Rayudu needs 45 races to complete 1,000 IPL races for CSK
What they say:
“It’s very helpful that we can settle down and test and read the conditions on one field and not several. I’m looking forward to doing a bit more performance than the last time we played in Dubai where we were outmatched by Delhi Capitals. There were a number of areas that we weren’t happy with and we’ve worked hard on. ” – CSK head coach Stephen Fleming in being able to play four of his next five games in Dubai.
© Cricbuzz
