The MRC Nagar Derby beckons as CSK lock horns with SRH

Only three teams – Chennai Super Kings, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians – have not yet scored a point in IPL 2022. Very seldom in the past have we seen these three sides tied together to their fates at the bottom of the table. So when CSK and SRH will lock horns, it won't just be to climb up the table but also for the pride of MRC Nagar. 

Now, MRC Nagar is also the area in Chennai, where the head-office of both India Cements and Sun TV is located, who also happen to be the owners of the franchises. Like how a single road separates the two offices, only one loss separates the two sides, as CSK have dropped three games while SRH have just dropped the two. 

In Deepak Chahar’s absence, Chennai have been affected to the highest pedigree, with just two wickets in the powerplay. Not only have the four-time champions not managed to pick wickets but also have been unable to apply brakes on the scoring rate, conceding 9.4 RPO, the highest in the tournament thus far. 

Sunrisers, on the other hand, are not far behind, despite the presence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd, the Men in Orange have picked up just three wickets, two of which was picked by Washington Sundar. Both sides with evident bowling problems will face each other in a bid to reverse their fortunes. 

If you think bowling was the only issue, then perhaps you have not paid enough attention. SRH and CSK are also two of the worst teams with the bat, with an average of 19.1 runs/wicket and 21.2 runs/wicket respectively. 

While it is easy to fix one aspect of a team’s weakness, the fact that these two teams suffer on multiple bases, makes it a crucial fixture.

Will Robin Uthappa sustain his aggression?

Robin Uthappa’s aggression has been a pleasant surprise for the Chennai Super Kings. In the past, the Super Kings have had that role down to a foreign batter, with Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis taking that mantle in the past. However, with neither of the two in the dugout, Uthappa has turned a new page as the opener for the under-performing Super Kings. 

The 36-year-old opener is only behind the English superstar Jos Buttler, with 81 runs having been dismissed just once in the tournament during the first six overs. His strike-rate of 172, is the highest amongst the top five run-scorers in the competition during the powerplay.

In comparison with the other batters during the powerplay for the Super Kings, Uthappa has been a striking difference, with the others accumulating just 44 runs, losing six wickets. Since the start of the 2020 IPL, the right-hander averages 46.8 in the powerplay, striking at 142, starting great against raw pace. Can he continue the carnage?

SRH’s opening dilemma

It is a battle of two struggling units and if CSK’s opening pair (Gaikwad’s failure) is bad, SRH’s opening pair is worse. The pair of Abhishek Sharma and Kane Williamson average the least in the tournament, averaging just 10 runs/wicket, striking at 76 in the powerplay. It is not either of the two openers struggling for the Sunrisers, it is both the openers struggling, which makes it very tricky for the franchise to handle. 

However, there are multiple solutions, in case they are planning for a change. Rahul Tripathi, as an opener, has scored over 650 runs in the competition, averaging 29.87, including striking at 138.2, donning the role for both Rising Pune Supergiant and Kolkata Knight Riders. 

An out of the box option would be Washington Sundar, who has in the past, opened several times in the Tamil Nadu Premier League, where the franchise could maximize on his batting potential, with a plethora of firepower in the middle-order. Either way, this encounter against CSK could have a final say on Abhishek’s opportunities at the top of the order for the Sunrisers.

Umran Malik and the deal of raw pace

The running joke in the IPL is that Umran Malik will definitely beat the speedometer, apart from him winning the award for the fastest delivery every game. While he has always looked threatening, the fact is sometime down the line, the pace would have to be met with accuracy. At least, that is how the likes of Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee have had success in the past. 

With Dale Steyn as the bowling coach, it is imperative that the 22-year-old starts picking up the trade. Whenever the youngster has cranked the pace up, hitting 145 kmph and above, he has been on the receiving end of some hammering, going at 11.3 RPO, conceding five boundaries and a six, with just six dots. 

In comparison, Lockie Ferguson, who bowls similar pace, has conceded just 6.8 RPO, averaging nine. Umran is still a valuable asset for Sunrisers but the fact remains that he has to combine pace with accuracy, otherwise, his stocks will fall down very quickly.

Playing XI and Team Combination

For the Chennai Super Kings, they have still not yet found their feet in regards to the team combination and the playing XI. Expect no changes in the batting unit but there are chances that there could be some changes in the bowling unit with it being a day game. 

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja (c), Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorious/Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Chris Jordan/Maheesh Theekshana, Adam Milne

It is highly unlikely that Sunrisers are going to make wholesale changes to their playing XI. However, there is a small possibility that Jansen could replace Shepherd. 

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Aiden Markram, Abdul Samad, Washington Sundar, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, T Natarajan, Umran Malik