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The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) face off against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Match 18 of IPL 2024 at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Friday, April 5.
With two wins in three games, the Super Kings are in the top half of the standings but know that they can't afford to take their foot off the pedal. They are on the back of a disappointing loss to the Delhi Capitals and will be keen on returning to the win column.
CSK's squad for IPL 2024: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ajay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Theekshana, Prashant Solanki, Deepak Chahar, Matheesha Pathirana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Aravelly Avanish Rao
Here's CSK's predicted playing XII (including one impact sub) for Match 18 of IPL 2024 against SRH:
Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c) and Rachin Ravindra
CSK's opening batters were harassed and harried by DC's powerplay bowlers and will want to do better. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has made a disappointing start to the campaign, but he's still dangerous with the new ball.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra will look to go from the outset and make the most of the friendly batting conditions in Hyderabad.
Middle Order: Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk)
Ajinkya Rahane chipped in with a handy knock in the last game, which kept CSK's innings afloat. He isn't likely to face much spin against SRH and could be a player of great importance.
The rest of CSK's middle order should wear a similar look as well. Daryl Mitchell has looked off-color but spent some time in the middle against DC, which should hold him in good stead going forward.
MS Dhoni, fresh off a blitz, should ideally bat ahead of Ravindra Jadeja, whose batting has nosedived to frustrating depths.
Lower Order: Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana
Mustafizur Rahman is away in Bangladesh and is expected to arrive mere hours before the game. CSK might not want to rush him in, so Maheesh Theekshana could take his place in the side.
Matheesha Pathirana will be one of the Super Kings' prime weapons against Heinrich Klaasen, while Tushar Deshpande and Deepak Chahar will need to somehow handle Travis Head in the powerplay.
CSK's predicted playing XII (inc. impact sub): Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana
Other impact sub candidates: Shardul Thakur, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary
