IPL 2018 Qualifier 1, Venue, Date and Timing: Sunrisers Hyderabad's road to playoffs

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad have proved themselves as the strongest bowling unit in the 11th edition of the cash-rich league. SRH will take on MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in the riveting IPL 2018 Qualifier 1 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

The Qualifier 1 will decide who goes directly to the May 27 final, also scheduled at Wankhede, with the winner guaranteed a spot in the summit clash and the loser left to play Qualifier 2 in Kolkata on May 25.

SRH captain and textbook batsman Kane Williamson is looking in a perfect shape for T-20 cricket, for the first time in his career. He has scored 661 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of 143.07.

Hyderabad boast of a bowling line up that can defend totals even under 150s as they have done that in the recent past. Their bowlers excelled maximum when they managed to defend just 119 runs and 133 runs against Mumbai Indians and Kings XI Punjab respectively.

The problem arising for SRH before playoffs is their current three-match losing streak. They were the first team to qualify for playoffs this year after just 11 matches but following that nothing has gone in their favour. Their bowlers have lost the rhythm in last three matches.

SRH strike bowlers such as Sidharth Kaul and Sandeep Sharma have been expensive in death overs in last few matches. Adding to that, Bhuvneshwar Kumar's absence has also been a big factor behind their low performance.

Star spinner Rashid Khan will be a crucial player for them in the qualifier stage. Big ticket batsman Manish Pandey has to take some responsibility in the middle-order to prove his worth. Shikhar Dhawan also needs to continue the momentum he has built in past few matches.

The big role for Williamson is to find the solution of their poor form because they will be locking horns against the mighty CSK in the first qualifier. CSK are playing some quality cricket in their comeback season of IPL.