Chennai Super Kings gamers would have to show all-round show once they face an unpredictable Punjab Kings in Chennai on May 1.
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Following its thumping 78-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings will look to transfer clear of a tight midfield pack of groups when it takes on a mercurial Punjab Kings on the MAC Stadium in Chennai on May 1, 2024.
The Super Kings bounced again in fashion towards SRH with a medical efficiency. Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his merry run whereas Daryl Mitchell lastly discovered type. More importantly, the host took wickets, thanks to Tushar Deshpande, within the PowerPlay, an space the place the facet has struggled typically this season.
However, the shape of Ajinkya Rahane continues to be a trigger of concern, and there’s a case to be made for giving somebody like Sameer Rizvi a chance.
Buoyant temper
Meanwhile, the Kings arrived within the metropolis in a buoyant temper after their sensational record-chase of 262 towards Kolkata Knight Riders.
The win was arrange by openers Prabhsimran Singh and Johnny Bairstow, each of whom lastly got here to the fore after an underwhelming begin to the season. If the top-order might be extra constant, it eases the burden on Shashank Singh and Asutosh Sharma, who’ve had to do the heavy lifting with the bat.
If Shikhar Dhawan returns — a name on his availability will be taken on match day — it will bolster Punjab’s probabilities. But the facet’s larger fear is its bowling, because the tempo assault has leaked runs like a sieve.
Having received simply three video games, it’s a do-or-die match for the guests, and a loss might effectively finish their slim hopes of qualification.
Teams (from):
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana and Sameer Rizvi.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw.
Match begins: 7.30 PM.
