IPL 2019: 3 Changes that Chennai Super Kings should make for the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad

#1 Harbhajan Singh for Shardul Thakur

Harbhajan had 2 Player of the Match awards in 4 matches(Image courtesy: IPL T20.com/BCCI)

Shardul Thakur has given away 231 runs in 25 overs for 6 wickets in this year’s IPL. Thakur went wicketless in 4 of the 7 matches that he has played this season.

On the other hand, Harbhajan has better figures of 16-1-82-7. He got the Player of the Match award in 2 of the 4 matches he has played this year.

He can be pitted against David Warner at the start of the innings. If Harbhajan could manage to remove Warner, it is half the battle won, the other half being Warner’s opening partner Jonny Bairstow.

The absence of left-hand batsmen other than Warner in the SRH line up doesn’t warrant Harbhajan’s exclusion. He has been equally successful against right-handers, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

By selecting Harbhajan in place of Thakur, CSK will have four quality spin options on a helpful Chepauk wicket. Besides, Harbhajan’s presence is vital for CSK at the fag end of the tournament on weary wickets.

Chennai Super Kings Playing XI

Murali Vijay, Faf de Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayadu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir