<p class="title">Having missed the World Cup bus, Ambati Rayudu will be aiming to make a statement when a marauding Chennai Super Kings take on a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL encounter here on Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The World Cup snub to Rayudu is the sole disappointment in an otherwise superb tournament so far for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men as they are just a win away from clinching the play-off berth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Hyderabad right-hander had found some form with a half-century against Rajasthan Royals and the flamboyant batsman, who was seen as a sure-shot No 4 in the national team, may just channelise the disappointment against a faltering Sunrisers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While CSK sit pretty on top of the table with 14 points from eight games, Sunrisers' have suddenly gone off the boil with a hat-trick of defeats, including an inexplicable batting collapse against Delhi Capitals in their last game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">What has been CSK's strength despite an ageing team has exactly been Sunrisers' bane in the matches that they have played so far.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While CSK have had plans A, B and C for various situations, Sunrisers have failed miserably whenever their opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and David Warner have flopped.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barring Warner's 400 runs and Bairstow's 304 runs, the next best is World Cup bound Vijay Shankar's 132 runs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The basic problem has been the middle-order where Manish Pandey (54 in six games), Deepak Hooda (47 in six games) and Yusuf Pathan (32 in six games) have been miserable.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In fact, Yusuf has been surviving on past reputation for years now and has not played a match-winning knock for a long while.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On the other hand, Dhoni has played various combinations depending on surfaces and more often than not, his team-mates have responded pretty well.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Whether it was Harbhajan Singh on a very slow Chepauk track or the restrictive Mitchell Santner in away games, most of Dhoni's strategies have paid off brilliantly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The man who has been a revelation for CSK this season is 40-year-old Imran Tahir with 13 wickets. The South African import has executed his skipper's plans brilliantly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For Sunrisers to remain relevant in this edition, they need to stop the CSK juggernaut which looks easier said than done.</p>
<p class="title">Having missed the World Cup bus, Ambati Rayudu will be aiming to make a statement when a marauding Chennai Super Kings take on a desperate Sunrisers Hyderabad in an IPL encounter here on Wednesday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The World Cup snub to Rayudu is the sole disappointment in an otherwise superb tournament so far for Mahendra Singh Dhoni's men as they are just a win away from clinching the play-off berth.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Hyderabad right-hander had found some form with a half-century against Rajasthan Royals and the flamboyant batsman, who was seen as a sure-shot No 4 in the national team, may just channelise the disappointment against a faltering Sunrisers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While CSK sit pretty on top of the table with 14 points from eight games, Sunrisers' have suddenly gone off the boil with a hat-trick of defeats, including an inexplicable batting collapse against Delhi Capitals in their last game.</p>.<p class="bodytext">What has been CSK's strength despite an ageing team has exactly been Sunrisers' bane in the matches that they have played so far.</p>.<p class="bodytext">While CSK have had plans A, B and C for various situations, Sunrisers have failed miserably whenever their opening pair of Jonny Bairstow and David Warner have flopped.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Barring Warner's 400 runs and Bairstow's 304 runs, the next best is World Cup bound Vijay Shankar's 132 runs.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The basic problem has been the middle-order where Manish Pandey (54 in six games), Deepak Hooda (47 in six games) and Yusuf Pathan (32 in six games) have been miserable.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In fact, Yusuf has been surviving on past reputation for years now and has not played a match-winning knock for a long while.</p>.<p class="bodytext">On the other hand, Dhoni has played various combinations depending on surfaces and more often than not, his team-mates have responded pretty well.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Whether it was Harbhajan Singh on a very slow Chepauk track or the restrictive Mitchell Santner in away games, most of Dhoni's strategies have paid off brilliantly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The man who has been a revelation for CSK this season is 40-year-old Imran Tahir with 13 wickets. The South African import has executed his skipper's plans brilliantly.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For Sunrisers to remain relevant in this edition, they need to stop the CSK juggernaut which looks easier said than done.</p>