Following its thumping 78-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings will look to move clear of a tight midfield pack of teams when it takes on a mercurial Punjab Kings at the MAC Stadium in Chennai on May 1, 2024.
The Super Kings bounced back in style against SRH with a clinical performance. Ruturaj Gaikwad continued his merry run while Daryl Mitchell finally found form. More importantly, the host took wickets, thanks to Tushar Deshpande, in the PowerPlay, an area where the side has struggled often this season.
However, the form of Ajinkya Rahane continues to be a cause of concern, and there is a case to be made for giving someone like Sameer Rizvi an opportunity.
Buoyant mood
Meanwhile, the Kings arrived in the city in a buoyant mood after their sensational record-chase of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
The win was set up by openers Prabhsimran Singh and Johnny Bairstow, both of whom finally came to the fore after an underwhelming start to the season. If the top-order can be more consistent, it eases the burden on Shashank Singh and Asutosh Sharma, who have had to do the heavy lifting with the bat.
If Shikhar Dhawan returns — a call on his availability will be taken on match day — it will bolster Punjab’s chances. But the side’s bigger worry is its bowling, as the pace attack has leaked runs like a sieve.
Having won just three games, it is a do-or-die match for the visitors, and a loss could well end 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 starts: 7.30 PM.
