PBKS VS CSK
Match Preview
CHENNAI: There’s a bit of a cloud in the
Chennai Super Kings
After a tremendous initial run that booked them a spot in the playoffs, two back-to-back losses have left them in a spot in the race to clinch the coveted top-two spot.
MS Dhoni Said
boys win their last game against Punjab Kings on Thursday so that they are assured of a second shot at the final if the first one goes wrong.
In this final sprint, it will be interesting to see if Suresh Raina makes a comeback. Captain MS Dhoni said against Delhi Capitals that Raina was rested because of a knee injury, but it is an old policy of the franchise that an injured player never travels with the team to the ground. But Raina did travel on Monday and the injury that Dhoni spoke about has been there right from the beginning of the season.
The fact that the left-hander has been unable to recreate his old magic might have been the reason behind his non-inclusion in the last game. In fact, it was touch and go between Raina and Uthappa for the last three games and Dhoni was waiting for his old mate to get back to some sort of form. But that didn’t happen and there is afeeling that the captain might have tried not to stoke the fire by mentioning publicly that a player of the stature of Raina has been dropped.
Now comes the bigger question: will he play against Punjab Kings? Robin Uthappa, who came in place of Raina, didn’t exactly set the stage on fire. But now that Dhoni has given him a chance after 12 matches, one could expect that he will get one more chance before the playoffs.
While the Raina question mark remains, Sam Curran has been officially ruled out of the tournament with an injury. That would mean the rest of the attack will remain the same as they try to curb the dangerous Punjab opening partnership of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal. Punjab are unlikely to make any further progress but that could just make them a little more dangerous in a game like this.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Chennai Super Kings:
Faf du Plessis: former South African skipper will be looking to shrug off the blip from the last game and register another substantial score.
Du Plessis loves batting against Punjab. In 11 innings, he has scored 538 runs at an average of 53.8 and a strike rate of 146.19 with 6 50+ scores.
R Gayakwad :- young opener has been in sensational form this year, especially in the UAE leg. He has already racked up unbeaten scores of 88* and 101*
Gaikwad had racked up 67 runs in his two outings against Punjab.
Ambati Rayudu: The middle-order batsman smashed an unbeaten 43-ball 55 in the last game against DC. His record vs Punjab: 378 runs in 19 innings at 19.89.
Ravindra Jadeja: The southpaw has been the MVP for CSK this season, especially with bat at the death. In 10 innings, he has scored 212 runs at a strike rate of 152.52 besides claiming 10 wickets at 27.27.
His record vs Punjab: 274 runs in 15 innings at 24.9 and 13 wickets in 18 innings.
Deepak Chahar: The swing bowler registered figures of 4/19 in his last outing against Punjab.
His record vs Punjab: 6 wickets in 8 matches.
Shardul Thakur: The ‘Lord’ was once again at his absolute best in the last game as he claimed a couple of crucial wickets besides giving just 13 runs in four overs. He will once again be crucial during the middle overs.
Probable XI
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa/Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Josh Hazlewood
Punjab Kings
KL Rahul: The stylish opener has once again been a consistent scorer for his team this season. In 12 games, he has scored 528 runs at an average of 52.8 and a strike rate of 129.1.
His record vs CSK: 297 runs in 9 innings at an average of 33 and a strike rate of 125.3.
Mayank Agarwal: Rahul may have got more runs but Mayank has been the most impactful batsman for Punjab this session. The right-hander smashed a 42-ball 57 in the last game but fell at the wrong time. His record vs CSK: 226 runs in 13 innings at 17.4. Can he improve on this?
Ravi Bishnoi: The young leg-spinner has been absolutely sensational in whatever opportunities he has got this season.
He did not claim a wicket in the last game but it is fair to say that he had got RCB batters on strings and if Rahul had held onto his opportunities, he would have claimed at least a wicket or two.
Arshdeep Singh: The young left-arm seamer had a tough outing in the last game against RCB but he has been sensational for large parts of the season. In 11 games, he has claimed 16 wickets with three of them coming in the fixture against KKR a few days ago.
Also, Arshdeep loves bowling at Dubai, with 15 wickets in six matches at an average of 12.33 and strike rate of 8.73.
Probable XI
KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Stats and Facts
Both sides have locked horns 25 times with CSK leading the ledger 16-9.
CSK have won each of their last three fixtures against Punjab including the one in Dubai last year.
Suresh Raina has the most runs (719) in CSK-PBKS fixtures while DJ Bravo has the most wickets (15) among the current crop of players in both sides.
Pitch Report
Batting continues to be a struggle on the tired pitches of UAE. Only one fresh wicket in Abu Dhabi served up an exception, but overall, scoring has been grim Throughout. 160-170 Would be a good score in this Ground.
Our final Team here
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