IPL 2021, CSK vs SRH Highlights: CSK trump SRH to leapfrog over RCB to the top of table

Fifties from Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad guide Chennai to victory and top of the IPL 2021 table. CSK defeat SRH by 7 wickets.

Afghan spinner outfoxes Faf du Plessis, CSK three men down.

Moeen Ali takes on Rashid Khan, Hyderabad spinner has the last laugh. CSK need 24 runs off 31 balls. 

Moeen Ali gets off the mark with a boundary, Warner rattled as CSK hunt for runs easily

After being hit for consecutive boundaries, Rashid Khan spun his magic to get the breakthrough, dismissed Gaikwad and CSK lose their first wicket at 129

Ruturaj Gaikwad gets his 5th IPL fifty in style, smashes two consecutive boundaries. CSK are 110/0

Leading CSK's chase, du Plessis gets his 19th IPL fifty. CSK unhindered in the chase. 

Rashid Khan, Sandeep Sharma & J Suchith fail to make an impact, CSK sailing towards the target. du Plessis and Gaikwad take CSK to 91/0

Ruturaj Gaikwad races to 29 off 22 balls after a slow start. Chennai are 63/0

du Plessis leads, Gaikwad plays second fiddle as CSK get off to a flier. Chennai are are 41/0

Jadhav ends the innings with a four and six off Sam Curran, takes SRH to 171/3 after 20 overs. 

Kane Williamson tears into Shardul Thakur, smashes consecutive boundaries. SRH are 149/3

du Plessis leaps to pull the ball out of thin air and dismiss Manish Pandey, impresses Jadeja. SRH down to 134/3

Lungi Ngidi gets his first wicket as Jadeja makes no mistake, David Warner departs afterhis 50. SRH are 128/2

David Warner brings up his 50 with a maximum, becomes the first batter in IPL to notch up 50 fifties

Warner now smashes one out of the park, targets Jadeja this time. SRH are 121/1

David Warner hits a 80m maximum to score his 200th IPL six. 

Despite Jonny Bairstow's early wicket, SRH cruise to 100 without any hiccup as David Warner, Manish Pandey keep the scoreboard ticking. Hyderabad are 102/1 

Warner-Bairstow stitch 50+ partnership, SRH eye a big score in Delhi

Pandey steps out to smash Moeen Ali's delivery over long on, takes SRH to 65/1

CSK send Bairstow back in the powerplay, Warner-Pandey crawl to 39/1 after 6 overs. 

Moeen Ali bowls a tight over on his return to playing XI, SRH are 54/1

Manish Pandey drives one through covers and between the gaps to get another boundary, will he get a big score tonight as SRH desperately need a win? Hyderabad are 38/1

Manish Pandey gets off the mark with a boundary. 

Curran strikes in his second over, sends Bairstow packing as Deepak Chahar grabs a magnificent catch. SRH are 22/1

David Warner and Johnny Bairstow get SRH off to a slow and steady start. Hyderabad are 8/0

Deepak Chahar concedes back-to-back boundaries. SRH are 18/0

• Chennai Super Kings XI: F du Plessis, R Gaikwad, M Ali, S Raina, A Rayudu, R Jadeja, MS Dhoni, S Curran, S Thakur, D Chahar, L Ngidi
• Sunrisers Hyderabad XI: D Warner, J Bairstow, K Williamson, M Pandey, V Shankar, K Jadhav, R Khan, J Suchith, S Sharma, S Kaul, K Ahmed

"Bit different to last year. The way we played in Mumbai, it was pleasing to get four wins out of five. Hoping for something similar in Delhi. Another small ground here, so it could be a high-scoring ground. We shouldn't be too slow to the turning ball and we have to adapt to it. We probably bowled second in most of the games, so when the ball doesn't swing, you go for the variations. It's very difficult in the bubble, but there are terrible things happening across the world. So, hopefully, we put up a show for the people watching at home," says Sam Curran. 

SRH makes two changes - Abhishek Sharma & Virat Singh OUT, Manish Pandey and Sandeep Sharma back in the XI. 

Lungi Ngidi and Moeen Ali back in the playing XI. 

David Warner wins the toss, opts to bat first. 

The SRH team put up an important video message for its fans on Twitter. The SRH team 2021 players are seen addressing the second wave of the coronavirus stating that it is spreading with alarming speed. The players hoped that everyone is staying safe at home with their families. The players conveyed further that their thoughts are with their fans while they stay away from their families in a bio-bubble. Watch the video here 

"IPL is game all about momentum. The conditions in Chennai were difficult, just that we couldn't get used to it. This (Delhi) is a different venue, so I hope things will be different. The pitch has some grass on it with not much bounce on offer and the boundaries are much smaller as compared to Chennai. The bowling plans will be different, hopefully we get some swing and get early wickets on this wicket. You always have to be ready in IPL, you always have to be on your toes," says Khaleel Ahmed ahead of the toss. 

"Groundsman's got a lot of time to prepare the surface. Should be a good batting surface. There will be dew expected after 8pm. Captains need to decide what's the preference - bat or bowl," says Anjum Chopra in the pitch report.

So far, the Indian players in the SRH team have yet to make a mark with the lower order collapsing regularly. Since Saha only played 2 matches, David Warner must consider him as a part of the playing XI as his experience might provide the much-needed stability to the team. The position of Saha might not be decided yet since the top order of SRH team 2021 is solid, but his inclusion in the team might change the fate of the Sunrisers. The selectors of the SRH team will only have the answer to the question, “Is Wriddhiman Saha playing tonight?”.

CSK vs SRH Dream11 prediction: Probable playing XIs

CSK: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar.

SRH: David Warner, Jonny Bairstow, Manish Pandey, Kane Williamson, Vijay Shankar, Kedar Jadhav, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Siddarth Kaul, Khaleel Ahmed, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. 

CSK vs SRH best team: Captain and vice-captain selection

Captain – J Bairstow, F Plessis, R Jadeja 

Vice-Captain – K Williamson, R Gaikwad, S Raina 

Ravindra Jadeja and Jonny Bairstow will be perfect options as captain or vice-captain.

CSK vs SRH Dream11 team

Keeper – J Bairstow (VC)

Batsmen – F Plessis, R Gaikwad, S Raina, M Pandey, K Williamson 

All-Rounders – R Jadeja (C), S Curran 

Bowlers – D Chahar, Rashid-Khan, K Ahmed 

CSK vs SRH Dream11 prediction

The Chennai Super Kings are likely to trump the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the upcoming encounter.

CSK opener Faf du Plessis has showcased stunning form in the IPL 2021. The right-hander has 214 runs from 5 matches including two stunning half-centuries. The veteran also has a chance of claiming the Orange Cap by scoring 51 or more runs in the game against SRH. When it comes to their bowling department, Deepak Chahar has been their most successful campaigner so far. The medium-pacer has picked up 8 wickets from 5 games. 

Jonny Bairstow has come up with spectacular performances with the bat for SRH this season. The wicketkeeper-batsman so far has accumulated 211 from 5 appearances. Bairstow needs 54 or more runs in this match to become the highest run-scorer in the IPL 2021. Star leg-spinner Rashid Khan has bowled with a stunning economy rate of 5.60 this season and has 6 wickets to his name from 5 matches. 

Both sides have had a contrasting campaign in the 14th edition of the cash-rich league so far. The CSK team have fared much better when compared to their counterparts. While they had failed to cross the line in their opening clash against the Delhi Capitals (DC), they have bounced back in a spectacular manner by registering four successive victories. They are currently placed at the second place on the points table with 8 points from 5 games. They have a chance to reclaim the top spot on the table by clinching their upcoming contest against SRH.

According to our CSK vs SRH prediction, the Chennai Super Kings will trump the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Wednesday's fixture. The match promises to be an enthralling one for the fans as the two star-studded teams look to go all guns blazing in order to claim two crucial winning points. It remains to be seen if SRH can change their fortunes with the new venue. Here is the Delhi pitch report IPL 2021 information for the first game of the season at the Arun Jaitley Stadium - 

The Arun Jaitley Stadium of Delhi will host its first IPL 2021 game on Wednesday. The wicket at the venue has been known to assist the batters. A high-scoring encounter is on the cards considering the conditions and the star-studded line-ups of the two participating teams. Spinners will play a major role in the contest and they are expected to get turn and bounce in the latter stages. The captain winning the toss could be keen on bowling first as teams batting second have had an advantage at the venue.

CSK captain MS Dhoni has a reputation for clearing the boundary ropes with ease. However, the veteran's struggles against wrist-spinners have been pretty evident in recent years. The wicketkeeper-batsman has faced 32 balls against Rashid Khan and he has managed to score only 23 runs. The crafty spinner has also been successful in dismissing the star batter once. 

Back to dominating teams after a dismal show in IPL 202, the Chennai Super Kings seem to have found their lost mojo this year around. While skipper MS Dhoni is yet to fire the Men in Yellow to a fiery finish, the addition of Moeen Ali and return of Suresh Raina has strengthened Chennai's backbone during the middle overs. Sam Curran has risen to the occasion like a phoenix as and when demanded. Dhoni and Stephen Fleming do not have any reason to tinker with their playing XI combination as they take on stumbling SunRisers Hyderabad at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in the national capital. 

However, on the other side, Warner's SunRisers find themselves in troubled waters struggling to get a win under their belt. David Warner's SRH are in desperate search of a miraculous turnaround as they find themselves at the bottom of the points table. They have managed to win only a single fixture out of their five matches so far and a victory against the in-form CSK side could do wonders for their confidence at this crucial juncture of the tournament.