Chennai, Hyderabad eye maiden win

MUMBAI: Three successive defeats have put immense pressure on Chennai skipper Ravindra Jadeja, who would want his teammates to script a turnaround. The Kane Williamson-led Hyderabad, too, is not in the best of form, having suffered losses in its opening two matches. For CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s form is a cause for concern as the opener fell cheaply –with scores of 0, 1, 1 – in each of his first three outings.

So, Ruturaj, the ‘Orange Cap’ winner in the previous edition of the League, would be hungry to find his rhythm. While Robin Uthappa has a half-century under his belt, Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu have failed to capitalise on their starts. All-rounder Jadeja, too, will need to give a better account of himself even as former captain MS Dhoni looks to guide the team in the crunch moments.

Against Punjab Kings, Shivam Dube’s entertaining knock was the only bright spot for Chennai in the batting department. The team would expect him to deliver another power-packed innings against SRH.

In the bowling unit, the overseas trio of Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan and Dwaine Pretorius would have an important role to play. Meanwhile, Hyderabad, which could not successfully chase down targets in its first two matches, will have to get its act together.

Mumbai runs into Bangalore

In the day’s other match at the MCA Stadium in Pune, Mumbai Indians would look to snap its three-game losing streak against Royal Challengers Bangalore. While Mumbai is yet to take off this season, Bangalore has managed two victories after losing its opener.

Pant fined for slow over-rate

Delhi Capitals skipper Rishabh Pant has been fined Rs 12 lakh since his team maintained a slow over-rate during the six-wicket loss to Lucknow Super Giants in Mumbai on Thursday.