IPL 2023 MATCH PREVIEW: CSK v PBKS

Chennai vs Punjab Preview

The Chennai Super Kings are in the 4th position with 5 wins in 8 matches. They lost their last game against the Rajasthan Royals by 32 runs. They had won 3 consecutive matches before this. CSK is in good form as a team and they need to be consistent as the business end of the tournament is near and you don’t want to be inconsistent during that phase.

Devon Conway had a bad day after quite a few matches. Ruturaj Gaikwad again got off to a good start but failed to convert it into a big score. Ajinkya Rahane also failed to get going with the bat. Shivam Dube continued his good form and he will be a key batter for CSK in the middle overs. Ravindra Jadeja and Ambati Rayudu’s batting form is a big concern and it’ll be interesting to if “Thala” finally decides to bat a bit higher.

Power play bowling is where CSK can improve as Akash Singh and Tushar Deshpande were expensive in that phase in the last game. They are not expected to get any help as it’s a day game but they’ll need to contain the batters in the first six overs. Ravindra Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana have been consistent with the ball. The Men in Yellow will be eager to bounce back on the winning track in this match.

Punjab Kings, meanwhile, lost their last match by 56 runs against Lucknow. They conceded 257 runs with the ball and it proved to be way too many for the batters. They need some consistency in the bowling department and especially in the spin department as CSK’s spin hitting is top notch and Punjab’s spinners have been ineffective until now. The likes of Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Shikhar Dhawan and Rahul Chahar will be the key player for Punjab.

Probable XIs

Chennai:

Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Singh, Matheesha Pathirana

Punjab:

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Rahul Chahar

Venue

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

The first few games played at Chennai saw a good wicket for batting. But as it’s a day game, it’s expected to be a traditional Chepauk wicket - slow with the ball gripping for the spinners. Spinners will dominate the game and batters who are good against them will succeed. It’ll be interesting to see how good the surface is for batting.

Total Matches: 122
Won Batting 1st: 64
Won Batting 2nd: 56
Tied: 2

Average 1st Innings Score: 157 runs

Head-to-Head

CSK: 16
PBKS: 12

Key Players and Fantasy Picks

Chennai

Ruturaj Gaikwad scored 47 runs in the last game and again threw away his wicket after a good start. Gaikwad is a good player of spin bowling and with not much help for the pacers in this game, he will be a key batter for Chennai. Gaiwkad has poor numbers against Punjab in the last few matches but the conditions here are completely different.

Shivam Dube has 236 runs in 7 innings at an average of 33.71 and has struck at 157.33. He has scored 3 fifties in the last three innings and will look to go big in this match as well. Punjab will attack him with the short-pitch bowling of Arshdeep and Rabada but if he survives then he can take on the Punjab spinners.

Devon Conway had a bad day in the last match but he’s in exceptional form at the moment. Conway can score big in this game as the ball won’t move that much here as it’s a day game, especially in the 1st innings and he’s a good player of spin bowling. Conway will be eager to bounce back strongly.

Punjab

Shikhar Dhawan averages 44.9 and strikes at 131.2 against CSK. He has 1077 runs against them in 29 innings including 8 fifties and 1 century. Dhawan will be a key batter for his team and he needs to go big if Punjab are to win this game.

Liam Livingstone is one of the hardest hitters in T20 cricket and is good against the spinners as well. He showed glimpses of form in the last game and he will be an important player for his team. Livingstone will bowl a few overs as well. He averages 39.2 and strikes at 202.6 against CSK. Although, the sample size is 2 games only.

Rahul Chahar has 9 wickets against CSK in 10 innings and has good numbers at the venue as well. He has picked up 11 wickets in 7 innings at Chepauk. CSK’s batters have struggled against leg spin this season which we saw against Ravi Bishnoi and Mayank Markande. Chahar will be a key bowler for his team.

Differential Picks for Fantasy Cricket: Jites Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana.

Fantasy Suggestions

Disclaimer: We don’t guarantee winning in fantasy cricket. Users are requested to create their own combinations using the tips and numbers provided.