Chennai: Having lost seven of the last nine matches, five time champions Chennai Super kings (CSK) seeks redemption and a face saving win when it clashes with Punjab Kings here on Wednesday.
Both the teams comes into this contest in contrasting styles with the visitors having lost and a no result in its last two contests, while CSK helmed back by iconic M S Dhoni still struggling to find its winning magic touch having being drubbed SRH at the same venue a few days back.
Though the play offs chances appeared to be a long distant dream with successive losses, with the visting teams breaching the Yellow brigade bastion, there still seems to be faint a chance for CSK to entertain any hopes of making it to the qualifying stages, despite languishing at the bottom of the table, while PBKS with 11 points in nine matches will seek to get back to its winning ways to enhance its chances for a knock out berth.
The wash out of PBKS last match has given little hope for CSK in its fortune revival as it needs to win all the remaining matches with massive margins and also hope that the top teams in the table lose their remaining contests triggering an equation for the play offs spot.
For that, CSK, which had tried several combinations right from the top order and shuffled its battling line up, need to get its balance right, while PBKS rides high on confidence having being placed ahead of its rivals in the table that would give enough cushion for it.
The pitch, which had so far favoured the seamers unlike assisting the traditional spinners, might hold the key CSK for its fortunes to turn.
If the 22-yard strip behaves true to its tradition, Dhoni could bring in offie Ashwin to strengthen the spin attack to share with all rounder Ravindra Jadeja, while not tinkering with the pacers led by Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Choudhry with Anshul Kamboj providing the support with slinger Matheesha Pathirana.
On the batting front, CSK will persist with teenager Mhatre, who shone briefly but brightly in his earlier encounter with SRH, which it easily won, while Dewald Brevis after his debut, looking solid in the middle.
Return of Devon Conway could not be ruled out to pair with Shaik Rasheed/or bringing back Rachin Ravindra at the top.
The issue what the home team needs to address is to scoring maximum runs in the power play without losing wickets, which proved to be its nemesis for it this season.
On the other hand, PBKS has a combative opening pair with Prabhsimran singh and Priyansh Arya and skipper Shreyas Iyer providing solidity along with Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera and Vishnu Vinod, besides the Aussie Marcus Stoinis, who is still to explode, in the batting department.
Bowling too is a strength for PBKS with Marco Jansen, Harpreet Brar and A.Omarazai have talent, though Arhdeep Singh, Lockie fergusoon and Yash Thakur have been the dominant force so far.
Spinners Yuzvendra Chahal's experience will come in handy and is expected to pose a problem or two for the home team.
On the whole, a tight contest is on the cards, whether CSK will resurrect its chances for play offs in a must win situation or the visitors will try to improve its standings in the table for its sixth win, that will propel it to the second spot.
