Mumbai: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be looking to get off the mark in the points table with a win when they take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next encounter at Brabourne Stadium here on Sunday.
The Machchas have suffered two defeats in a row and Ravindra Jadeja has been under tremendous pressure to prove his mettle as the captain. But, Jadeja should consider himself lucky that the talisman Mahendra Singh Dhoni is available to give some vital tips to him at crucial juncture of a game and seems to be in good touch with the bat.
Dhoni scored a fifty in the opening game and then slammed a 6-ball-16 in the next match.
Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad has had disappointing outings in the tournament so far. He got out for a duck in the opening game and then got out for an unlucky run-out in the second match after scoring a run.
Robin Uthappa put up a fantastic show in the last match, hitting a quickfire 50 off 27 balls against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). He also played a decent knock in the opening game.
Moeen Ali will also be in the scheme of things, batting at No. 3. He slammed 35 runs off 22 balls in his first match against Lucknow. His elegant batting has helped the team to get runs in the middle overs.
Shivam Dube played a gem of an innings in the last match, smashing a 49-run knock off just 30 deliveries. He will aim to bat with a similar attitude in the next game as well.
Dwayne Bravo has managed to contribute in his own style, picking up 4 wickets in 2 matches so far. The right-arm pacer holds an economy of just 6.87.
Dwaine Pretorius bowled nicely for his 2 wickets in the last match and CSK might induct him into the playing XI against Punjab.
Punjab, on the other hand, have had contrasting results in their first two matches this season. They flourished against the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their first game in a big run chase, but completely routed in the next game against Kolkara Knight Riders.
Nevertheless, they have a destructive batting lineup with the likes of Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Odean Smith and Shahrukh Khan, who can win matches single-handedly.
The Brabourne Stadium has hosted two games so far and both have been high-scoring. Dew has played a major factor for teams' victories batting second. Expectedly, the captain winning the toss will opt for fielding first.
Shikhar Dhawan will be keen to make up for missing a couple of opportunities to get a big score in Sunday's fixture. He definitely knows how to get back into his groove as he has been in devastating touch in the last two IPL seasons.
In this season so far he has got out in soft mould after starting off well, and if he succeeds in staying put at the crease, he is a match-winner by any means.
Rahul Chahar will be looking to continue his good performance. The leg spinner got a lot of spin and picked up Shreyas Iyer and Nitish Rana's wicket to keep his side in the hunt. He had finished with 2 for 13 with a maiden on this track.
Squad:
Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Samarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma.
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell. (UNI)
