Team News: Chennai Super Kings
Chennai Super Kings bowlers came back strongly in the middle overs but ended up leaking runs in the death overs which helped KKR take momentum in their favour at the end of the innings.
Captain MS Dhoni would be hoping for an even better performance against Sunrisers - who are looking to cause a few upsets with their playoffs fate already finished.
CSK's bowling in the death overs wasn't up to the mark as left-arm pacer Sam Curran leaked runs in the death overs, which could have hurt the side badly had they been unable to cross the line.
Curran - who was playing his first game of UAE leg - was included in the side in place of in-form Dwyane Bravo - who made vital contributions in the first two games in the UAE. Curran needs to work on his death bowling and prevent the opposition from going for runs against him.
While young Ruturaj Gaikwad and his senior opening partner Faf du Plessis have been doing outstandingly well upfront by giving a promising start in the powerplay, the CSK middle-order looks rusty.
The likes of captain Dhoni, his deputy Suresh Raina, and Rayudu are still trying to find their forms. If the openers fail to give CSK a decent start, then the team might find itself in deep trouble.
However, the lower middle-order has been doing exceedingly well for CSK as the likes of Jadeja, Bravo, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur are looking in fine form.
In the bowling department, the focus will once again be upon Jadeja, Chahar, Josh Hazlewood, Thakur and Curran. Captain Dhoni would be hoping for a better performance from Hazlewood and Curran against SRH for they will be key to preventing the likes of Roys, and Williamsons from scoring freely.
Team News: Sunrisers Hyderabad
Star England opener Jason Roy made an immediate impact for Sunrisers with a fifty on debut. Against CSK, the explosive right-handed batsman will be looking to start where he left in the previous game.
The short boundaries in Sharjah will suit his style of batting. However, the slowness of the 22-yard strip at this venue will be a concern for him too for Roy too likes batting on bouncy pitches.
Captain Williamson also returned to his form with a classy half-century against Rajasthan. The right-handed batsman from New Zealand has been the batting mainstay for SRH in the last three seasons and his form was always going to be crucial for the side. With Williamson finally finding his mojo back will bode well for SRH in the remainder of the game as the side would look to play for pride.
All-rounder Jason Holder has also been a vital addition to the SRH setup and the West Indies cricketer is contributing for the side in every department. He has been scoring runs, picking up wickets and choking the flow of runs for SRH in the last three games and would be aiming to repeat a similar performance against in-form CSK.
Star spinner Rashid Khan and pacers Siddarth Kaul, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Sandeep Sharma's performance will be key against a side like CSK which has been winning games from any situation. They will be looking to take inspiration from their good performances in the past against CSK and aim for a much-improved show.
Probable Playing XIs
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran/Dwyane Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood/Lungi Ngidi.
SRH: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma.
Dream11 Fantasy Picks:
Batsmen: Faf du Plessis, Jason Roy, Kane Williamson, Ambati Rayudu
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Siddharth Kaul
All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Jason Holder
Wicketkeeper: MS Dhoni
Captain: Ravindra Jadeja
Vice-captain: Jason Holder