HYDERABAD: Sunrisers Hyderabad will head into their IPL clash against Chennai Super Kings on Saturday with renewed confidence after the emergence of young pace duo Praful Hinge and Sakib Husain, who produced match-winning performances in their previous outing.
The uncapped pair, drafted in to replace seasoned bowlers Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat, made an immediate impact by ripping through Rajasthan Royals’ top order. The Royals were reduced to 9 for 5 inside the first three overs while chasing 216, eventually collapsing to 159 all out.
Vidarbha pacer Hinge was the standout performer, claiming 4/34 as he dismantled the top order, including Dhruv Jurel, Lhuan-dre Pretorius and skipper Riyan Parag in a fiery opening spell. Bowling from a back-of-a-length and extracting sharp bounce, he set the tone early.
Bihar’s 21-year-old Sakib Husain, who went unsold at the Kolkata Knight Riders auction before making his SRH debut, complemented him well. Using variations in the middle overs, Husain also picked up four wickets to seal a dominant win.
Their performances have strengthened SRH’s pace attack, which had been a concern earlier in the season, and added balance to a side otherwise reliant on batting firepower featuring Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen.
CSK, meanwhile, will enter the match after recovering from a poor start to the season. The five-time champions, who began with three consecutive defeats, have registered back-to-back wins to regain momentum.
However, they will be without left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed, who has been ruled out of the season due to a quadriceps injury sustained in the win over Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK are also missing MS Dhoni and Nathan Ellis, further testing their squad depth.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled for form, managing a highest score of 28 in five innings, though Sanju Samson has shown strong form with an unbeaten century against Delhi Capitals followed by a 48 against KKR.
CSK could consider reshuffling their batting order, with young Ayush Mhatre, who has hit two fifties in his last four innings, being promoted. Mukesh Choudhary is expected to take up new-ball duties in Khaleel’s absence, with Ramakrishna Ghosh also an option.
Both teams come into the contest with contrasting momentum, SRH boosted by their breakthrough pace attack and CSK riding a two-match winning streak as they look to secure their first away win of the season.
(With inputs from PTI)