Chandigarh: Desperate to arrest a three-match losing streak, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be hoping to rediscover their winning ways when they face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a crucial IPL encounter at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on Tuesday.
Having begun their IPL 2025 campaign with a confident win over Mumbai Indians, CSK have since slumped to three consecutive defeats – against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals – with each loss exposing key vulnerabilities in both their batting and bowling combinations. The five-time champions have already used 17 players in just four matches, including all their overseas options, indicating a clear lack of settled strategy.
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has shown flashes of form with 121 runs from four outings, will be expected to anchor the innings, while Noor Ahmad, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker so far with 10 scalps, remains their best hope with the ball. However, questions remain around the form and role of senior players like Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube, and the underwhelming returns from their spin department led by Ravichandran Ashwin.
In contrast, Punjab Kings have looked a more cohesive unit, despite a 50-run defeat to Rajasthan Royals in their last outing. With Shreyas Iyer leading from the front – scoring 159 runs in three games – and Nehal Wadhera impressing in the middle order, PBKS will back themselves to maintain their recent dominance over CSK, having won four of their last five meetings.
CSK, however, will take heart from their last encounter against PBKS in May 2024, where they registered a 28-run win – their first over Punjab since 2021 – thanks to a Player of the Match performance from Jadeja, who contributed with both bat and ball.
The match is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start under clear skies. The pitch in Mullanpur has shown signs of balance but tends to favour chasing teams, with three out of five matches at the venue last season won by the team bowling first.
With both teams coming off losses, and tournament momentum hanging in the balance, Tuesday’s match promises to be a high-stakes battle of resilience and strategy.
Predicted XIs
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana
