SRH’s young pace duo Hinge and Husain add fresh edge ahead of clash with CSK

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 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.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.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.

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

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.