That is not all as the high-flying Super Kings are placed in the upper echelons of the points table, while the David Warner-led side is rooted to the rock bottom. Elaborating on what else distinguishes these two teams, while the Orange army have contrived to lose from a position of strength on multiple occasions, the Chennai Super Kings have snatched victories from the proverbial jaws of defeat scenarios. 

With matches following in quick succession, and not much time to work on ironing out flaws, the Hyderabad franchise needs plenty of revamping to do before squaring off against the Super Kings. 

The significance of having a shrewd tactician such as MS Dhoni helming a team can’t be overstated. While Dhoni reposed faith in opener Ruturaj Gaikwad even after a couple of failures, Warner’s shoddy treatment of Manish Pandey throws light on a bungled selection policy. Pandey, despite his unimpressive strike rate, was making meaty contributions, something that Kedhar Jadhav and Virat Singh can’t lay claim to. Pandey’s absence was felt profoundly in their Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals on Sunday, when Jadhav and Virat consumed too many dot balls thereby cranking up the pressure on Kane Williamson at the other end. 

With not many options to choose from to fix the middle order, Hyderabad will have to make do with the limited resources available by constantly shuffling their batsmen around. However, if there is one source of concern for the Super Kings, it is the stellar bowling line-up of Hyderabad. Indeed, the performance of Sunrisers bowlers has been beyond reproach this season but alas their effort hasn’t reaped the dividends it merits thanks to the ineptitude of their batsmen. 

As with the previous games, the Hyderabad bowlers need to fire in unison for them to have a semblance of chance against a buoyant Chennai side. Judging by their impressive performance in the initial stages of the season, it wouldn’t be wide off the mark to say that the Super Kings are well-placed to finish among the top-four at the conclusion of the league stage. 

On the downside, Ambati Rayudu, a vital cog in the middle-order, has sustained an injury and it comes as a body blow to the men in yellow. CSK, though, can afford to risk playing the inexperienced Narayan Jagadeesan in Rayudu’s place. Jagadeesan is in good touch having amassed 322 runs while opening for Tamil Nadu in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy earlier this year and he would be raring to prove his talent. As an opener he can play his natural game, leaving the aggression part of it for Gaikwad. 

Moeen Ali, should he recover in time, would be a perfect fit for the number 5 slot --- the position he plays for his national side. If he is still unfit, then the Super Kings could try promoting Sam Curran up the order. In short, there are options galore for CSK to compensate for Rayudu in case of his absence. Hyderabad would be hoping that left-arm fast bowler Khaleel Ahmed and spinner Rashid Khan will continue their rich vein of form in what promises to be an exciting contest.