It is the 46th game of the Indian Premier League 2022 and Chennai Super Kings have a point to prove as they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Super Kings lost to the Punjab Kings in their last game, their sixth loss in eight games. The Sunrisers Hyderabad blew up a winning chance as they lost off the last ball of the game against the Gujarat Titans, their first loss in six games. CSK would feel the heat as this is a must-win game for them. With two wins so far, it has been a poor show from the defending champions. A loss might signal their exit from the tournament in the first round. They must find their mojo and play well as a team and need a good show from their bowling attack. SRH have done well as a unit and it will be a tough ask for CSK to defeat them. TEAMS PREVIEW SUNRISERS HYDERABAD PREVIEW It was the first loss in six games for Kane Williamson’s side as they went down against the Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in a nail-biter. Williamson would be sad as his side failed to defend 22 runs in the last over losing the game in the last ball. They had defeated the Super Kings by a big margin earlier in the tournament and Williamson would like his players to apply themselves and win here to strengthen their position on the points table. Abhishek Sharma and Williamson have been in good form and the side would like to see a good start from them here. The middle-order looks rock solid with Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, and Rahul Tripathi scoring runs in previous games. Washington Sundar’s return has strengthened the lower middle order for the side, and he would like to add quick runs with Shashank Singh and Marco Jansen in this game. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Marco Jansen will need to bowl good lines with the new ball as this has been one of the problem areas for the side. Umran Malik has been brilliant, and the side needs to use him in better ways to apply pressure on the CSK batting line-up. T Natarajan has done well and forms a good bowling pair in the middle overs with Sundar who is one of the best bowlers in this format. Top Batsman – Kane Williamson Top Bowler – Umran Malik CHENNAI SUPER KINGS PREVIEW Ravindra Jadeja has no time to waste. He hasn’t been inspirational in his captaincy, and it is the perfect time for him to prove his metal as they get into this do-or-die game. Poor bowling and batting undid them in the last game against the Punjab Kings as they went down by 11 runs. The Sunrisers have displayed great form and Jadeja would need to inspire confidence in the side to win here. Robin Uthappa will need to play freely, and he will need good support from Ruturaj Gaikwad who has been on and off with his form. Shivam Dube and Mitchell Santner need to build partnerships with Ambati Rayudu. Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Dwaine Pretorius, and Dwayne Bravo add depth to this batting line-up and need to play important knocks in this crucial game. Mukesh Choudhary and Mahesh Theekshana have done well as a pair, but the team would need an electrifying start from them given SRH’s strength at the top. Jadeja would have to lead from the front and bowl well in the middle overs with Santner and Bravo. Pretorius hasn’t got his lines right and he will have to do well in the supporting act for the side to be in a comfortable position. Top Batsman – Robin Uthappa Top Bowler – Dwayne Bravo MATCH DETAILS: Venue: MCA Stadium, Pune Date & Time: May 1, 7:30 PM WEATHER CONDITIONS We expect to see a warm and humid evening in Mumbai on May 01. The wicket would be flat and we expect to see another high-scoring contest where the ball comes onto the bat nicely. It will be a tough venue for the bowlers and the side batting first would look to near a score of 200 runs to feel safe on this ground. VENUE DETAILS Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium has a batting-friendly wicket and fast outfield and there have been many runs scored on this surface in the past. Batsmen can play their strokes on the rise at this venue. There would be little assistance for the fast bowlers and spinners are likely to enjoy the sharp turn this surface occasionally offers. TOSS: TO BOWL Few teams have taken the risk of batting first in this tournament with flat surfaces enabling big run chases. This venue has products lots of runs in the earlier games that have been played. Hence, we believe the side winning the toss in this game would have little hesitation in bowling first. PITCH REPORT The last two games on the pitch have not been the easiest for the batters and both games have been low-scoring encounters. The captain that wins the toss is expected to bowl first as the dew factor might come into play. PROBABLE PLAYING XIS FOR SRH VS CSK SUNRISERS HYDERABAD Abhishek Sharma, Kane Williamson (c), Rahul Tripathi, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shashank Singh, Washington Sundar, Marco Jansen, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umran Malik, T Natarajan CHENNAI SUPER KINGS Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Mitchell Santner, Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Mukesh Choudhary, Mahesh Theekshana PROBABLE TOP PERFORMERS PROBABLE BEST BATTER OF THE MATCH: AMBATI RAYUDU Ambati Rayudu has played the game-changing role on many occasions for CSK and he almost pulled off a stunning run chase for his side against PBKS. The right-hander scored a 39-ball 78 in the last game, which included six sixes and seven fours at a strike rate of 200. He has looked in good touch in the last few games and will have a big role to play if CSK has to get into the playoffs from here on. PROBABLE BEST BOWLER OF THE MATCH: MAHESH THEEKSHANA Mahesh Theekshana has been one of the consistent performers for CSK in the last few games and he has bowled in different phases of the game as well. The mystery spinner has taken eight wickets in five games so far this season and looks promising as well. The Sri Lankan can outsmart the batters with his variations in pace and spin. WINNING PREDICTION There would be intense pressure on Chennai to win here. The side has struggled with its consistency. Their top order hasn’t looked in great form and this is the area the side would need to improve upon to do well in this contest. The Sunrisers Hyderabad have less pressure and they are nearing the playoff qualification. They have a stronger bowling attack, and this would put the side ahead of CSK in this game. Sunrisers Hyderabad to win.