File photos of CSK's MS Dhoni and SRH's David Warner.
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain David Warner has opted to bat first after winning the toss against MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings in Match 23 of IPL 2021 in New Delhi on Wednesday. Both the captain made two changes for the match as Warner brings in Manish Pandey and Sandeep Sharma back in the line-up while MSD includes Moeen Ali and Lungi Ngidi instead of Imran Tahir and Dwayne Bravo.
Speaking after winning the toss, Warner said he doesn't expect the wicket to change much during the course of the game.
"It's a different surface to what was expected in Delhi. But it's not going to change much through the course of the game. We are just looking at the attitude in tough situations. We just want to stay relaxed and come out with clear minds. It's about experience for us, so we have two changes. Abhishek Sharma and Virat (Singh) miss out. Sandeep and Pandey are back," he said.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): David Warner(c), Jonny Bairstow(w), Kane Williamson, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Vijay Shankar, Rashid Khan, Jagadeesha Suchith, Sandeep Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Siddarth Kaul.
Dhoni, on the other hand, felt dew will play a big role in the second innings and chasing would be the right choice.
"We were looking to bowl first. Looks a bit tacky and the boys who practiced yesterday said there was quite a bit of dew. We prefer to chase if there is a chance of dew. Bowling with the wet ball or bowling in conditions where there is not much help is the area we would want to improve. We were slow in the first game but we picked up pace. Lungi and Moeen are back in place of Bravo and Tahir," Dhoni said.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar.
Former Indian women cricket team captain Anjum Chopra, who is also India TV expert for the IPL, said the dew could play a role in the game post 8 PM.
"Groundsman's got a lot of time to prepare the surface. Should be a good batting surface. There will be dew expected after 8 PM. Captains need to decide what's the preference - bat or bowl," said Chopra during the pitch report.
