SPORTS CSK, SRH TO FACE OFF IN HIGH-OCTANE FINAL
Chennai hold a 3-0 record over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
standout performer with 586 runs. Australian Watson has also been in top form, accumulating 438 runs from 13 matches, while Raina, skipper Dhoni and all-rounder Deepak Chahar have been the backbone of CSK’s middle order.
In the bowling front, the former two-time champions will bank on young South African lungi Ngidi, who has 6 wickets from 10 games with a decent economy rate of 5.90.
With Shardul Thakur, Chahar and Dwayne Bravo doing their bit on the pace bowling front, CSK will hope for veteran Harbhajan Singh leading the spin attack with left-armer Ravindra Jadeja in the middle overs.
Coming to Hyderabad, the orange army’s success mostly bank on their bowling which has a lot of variety and some of the best names in the business.
Afghan spinner Rashid has been brilliant throughout the season bagging 21 wickets from 16 games.
The leggie came up with a sensational figure of 3/19 against Kolkata last night apart from a quickfire cameo of 34 from just 10 balls.
Rashid had also troubled Chen- nai in the first qualifier with figures of 2/11.
On the batting front, top scorer of the tournament Williamson has led from the front. The New Zealand skipper, rated as one of the best batters of the current generation, has so far amassed 688 runs in 16 games at an average of 52.92.
Williamson has also led admirably on the field.
Opener Shikhar Dhawan has also been good, amassing 471 runs from 15 games and Hyderabad’s opening will mostly rely on him. The middle-order however, needs to find their touch for one final time in the league as Manish Pandey, Wriddhiman Saha, Shakib Al Hasan and Yusuf Pathan have failed to live up to the expectations.
It will also be interesting to see whether Yusuf gets a chance in the playing XI in the mega final as the Baroda right hander has failed miserably in the present season, with just 215 runs from 15 games.
Overall, it could be another edge-of-the-seat match on a Super Sunday for fans when the two best teams of this year’s league square-off for one final time. IANS