On Sunday fans will witness an epic clash between the Kings of IPL Chennai Super Kings(CSK) will face Punjab Kings (PBKS) once again in the picturesque stadium of Dharamshala. Chennai Super Kings has a good opportunity to take revenge and bounce back. Last match Chennai Super Kings faced a shameful loss against Punjab Kings on their home ground.
It is a golden chance to win this match so that Chennai Super Kings will be strong enough to make it into the top 4. Punjab Kings also have a chance to reach in top 4 if and only if they win all remaining 4 matches. Currently, Punjab Kings stands in 8th position, and Chennai Super Kings in 5th position.
Journey- Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings
Chennai Super Kings is a phenomenal team and filled with plenty of match-winners but their cricket is under scrutiny and has failed a bit in some causes but still, they have the potential to win matches. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad is in solid touch and scoring runs consistently since Rachin Ravindra has been benched season campaigner Ajinkya Rahane has failed to prove while opening and the purple patch continues. Middle-order is not consistent in some matches they score runs or else lose their wicket early.
Concerns have been raised in the Chennai Super Kings camp as Mustafizur Rehman has left for Bangladesh for national duties, so the experience of Mustafizur will be missed. Deepak Chahar who had an injury in the last match may also be a concern for Chennai Super Kings. Finishing touches by MS Dhoni will be continuing and spinners should take a stroll over bowling and need to see what mistakes are they committing. Matheesha Pathirana and Tushar Deshpande who missed the last match which cost Chennai Super Kings very badly will make a comeback in this match.
Punjab Kings who are in the driving seat and winning continuous matches will keep their heads high. Openers Prabhsimran Singh and Jonny Bairstow who have scored runs will keep the momentum. Since Shikhar Dhawan was ruled out due to injury maybe we can see him playing today, in his absence interim captain Sam Curran has led the team in a good way but missed the services of Shikhar Dhawan as a batter.
Young sensation Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma will keep their pinch-hitting as they have been successful in finishing games, especially Shashank Singh who is a blessing in disguise for Punjab Kings. Bowlers who had a leaning patch before the last match have improved their bowling by including Rahul Chahar who bowled an exceptional spell in the last match. Rabada and Harshal Patel will try to bounce back more in their bowling committing fewer mistakes.
Stats
- Dhoni has a strike rate of 45.45 against Rabada (10 runs off 22 balls, one dismissal), 55.88 against Rahul Chahar (19 off 34, two dismissals) and 78.12 against Harshal Patel (25 off 32, two dismissals). He has fared much better against Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh, taking 38 off 17 balls against Curran and 20 off 14 balls against Arshdeep. Neither bowler has been able to dismiss him yet.
- Daryl Mitchell has taken Arshdeep for 43 runs in 19 balls while getting out only once.
- Rabada has kept Gaikwad quiet: 63 runs off 59 balls, three dismissals. Arshdeep, too, has a good record against Gaikwad: 55 runs off 44 balls, and three dismissals.
- Bairstow has a strike rate of 185.71 against Moeen Ali (39 runs off 21 balls, no dismissal) and 170.00 against Shardul Thakur (51 off 30, one dismissal). But he has found it difficult to score against Ravindra Jadeja: 36 off 31 at a strike rate of 116.12 (one dismissal).
Matchups- Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings
CSK’s top order has relied heavily on Ruturaj Gaikwad but the CSK skipper has a documented fragility against left-arm pace. While he tends to score at a brisk strike rate of 147, Gaikwad has fallen five times in 89 deliveries. PBKS have Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran who can exploit the CSK’s captain’s weakness with the new ball. PBKS are unlikely to make any changes to their playing squad for this game.
Matheesha Pathirana has been exceptional in the middle overs (7-15) this season. The Sri Lankan goes at a frugal economy of 5.46 and has picked up eight wickets from just 78 deliveries bowled, at a staggering strike rate of 9.75. The young pacer will be pivotal to controlling PBKS’ pace-hitting duo of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma. With Mustafizur Rahman’s exit, Pathirana’s return will make for a direct swap in the XI. Mukesh Choudhary is expected to replace the injured Deepak Chahar if Deshpande fails to recover for this game.
Probable XI: Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Sam Curran (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar. [Impact player: Arshdeep Singh].
Probable XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Sameer Rizvi, Shardul Thakur, Richard Gleeson, Tushar Deshpande/Mukesh Choudhary. [Impact Sub: Matheesha Pathirana]
Head-to-Head: Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings
Not a lot to choose between the two sides in the overall stats. CSK holds a slender 15-14 lead over PBKS from their 29 encounters. However, the last five games have all been won by Punjab, giving them a potential psychological edge.
Pitch Report
Dharamsala has hosted only two T20s in the last seven years and both have been high-scoring – well, as per pre-IPL 2024 standards. The last time PBKS played here, in 2023, Rossouw was in the opposition and scored 82 not out off 37 balls as Delhi Capitals posted 213 for 2 and won by 15 runs. It’s an afternoon game, and the temperature is expected to be around 27°C.
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