IPL 2021, SRH vs CSK Match 44 Toss and Playing 11: Chennai opt to bowl in Sharjah, Bravo in for Curran

Sharjah, September 30: Chennai Super Kings skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the toss and elected to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 44 of IPL 2021 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Thursday (September 30).

As for team news for the match, CSK make one change to their 11 from the last match as they bring back West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo for England all-rounder Sam Curran, while Sunrisers stick to their winning combination.

After opting to bowl first, CSK captain MS Dhoni said: "(Decision to bowl) because of the smaller dimensions and looks like a fresh wicket. When you keep playing here, it tends to slow down. It may not be as slow as the other wickets today."

On the performance so far this season, Dhoni added: "In a tournament like this, it becomes difficult to come back. This year, all the boys have been brilliant. Taking one game at a time helps. We are thinking about executing our plans."

IPL 2021: SRH vs CSK, Match 44 Live Updates: Chennai Super Kings opt to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad

Meanwhile, SRH skipper Williamson said: "(Wicket) looks a little bit better than some of the others. We have to assess the conditions as quickly as possible. We need to adjust. For us, it's trying to build on the last performance.

On the team news and plans for rest of the tournament, Williamson added: "We are going in with the same side. The guys are looking forward to it. We want to play good cricket, we want to continue to improve. Four games left to do that and that's our opportunity as a franchise. We want to keep growing throughout."

With play-off berth out of reach, Sunrisers play for pride after registering just two wins from their 10 matches so far this season. But, Williamson's team come into the clash against CSK fresh from a 7 wicket win against Rajasthan Royals.

A new-look SRH played party poopers to Royals, who had ambitions to move into the play-off positions and the Hyderabad-based franchise will look to do the same in their remaining matches of IPL 2021.

CSK, who are top of the standings with 16 points on board following 8 wins from 10 matches, will still want to keep their winning momentum going as they look to cement a top two finish.

Dhoni's men come into Thursday's match on the back of three successive wins in the UAE leg, including their recent 2 wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK have only suffered defeats to Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals so far this season.

SRH may have won their last match in IPL 2021, but CSK has been their indomitable opponent in the cash-rich league as the Orange Army have suffered 11 losses in 15 matches against the Yellove brigade.

Playing 11s for IPL 2021, Match 44, SRH vs CSK:

SRH XI: Jason Roy, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Kane Williamson (captain), Priyam Garg, Abhishek Sharma, Abdul Samad, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Siddarth Kaul, Sandeep Sharma

CSK XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood