IPL 2013 preview: Sunrisers eye top 4 spot,CSK look to inch closer to play-offs

After clinching some high-scoring thrillers,the unit were unable to chase down a modest total,and crashed to a heavy defeat away from home.

It has been a pattern this year. Teams in contention for the play-offs are doing great at home,but are exposed big time on their away journey.

Hyderabad,too,like most of them,have looked invincible at home. They have used the slow and low conditions to full avail,and have successfully defended low totals on the strip.

Their batting still needs a push,and the team will have to tighten the screws if they fancy going all the way this year.

Wake up call

Chennai,after doing all the right things in the middle,were handed a heavy defeat in their last fixture. The M S Dhoni-led unit were bowled out for a lowly 79 –the lowest total in IPL 2013—and were not in the game at any moment. After dominating things early on,they allowed Rohit Sharma and Harbhajan Singh to accelerate towards the end,and guide their side to a total,which proved enough on that day.

The loss would have given them a wake up call at the right stage as an effort like that would have proved costly during important fixtures. The question,however,is that can Chennai get back to dominating ways?

Too much pace

Hyderabad’s seam duo of Ishant Sharma and Dale Steyn has done wonders to a team looking very ordinary with the bat. At home,with not much carry and bounce,both of them have used the conditions to full avail. Batsmen have found it difficult to hit through the line.  Sharma,in particular,has looked a different bowler. Bowling in tandem with Steyn has injected a fresh lease of life into his bowling,which has been brilliant so far.

There is no respite after the pacey duo as Darren Sammy and Thisara Perera use their subtle variations to contain the flow of runs in the middle overs. It is a very balanced bowling attack,who offer very little scoring opportunities. And,the quality of this attack is the fact that teams are yet to find a way against them. 

Spin affair

A lot of spin will be on offer in the fixture today as both Hyderabad and Chennai have a lot of spin in their ranks. Hyderabad spinners have been brilliant so far,and the hunger for wickets is evident from the lines and lengths they are sticking to. Amit Mishra is not afraid to toss the ball up in this destructive format,and is using his wrong one effectively.

Dhoni’s love for spinners is evident from the way he has used them in the middle. The skipper looks at utmost ease when his spinners are in flow,and loves give them the bulk of the bowling. Jadeja was his go-to man in the last fixture,and the all-rounder didn’t let his skipper down. The left-arm spinner used his variations and assistance from the pitch effectively to put his side on top against Mumbai.

Road to Hyderabad

Chennai Super Kings: LWWWW

Sunrisers Hyderabad: WWLWW

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