IPL: Why CSK can't afford to take Punjab Kings lightly

An inconsistent Chennai Super Kings will have to display all-round solidity when they face an unpredictable Punjab Kings in their IPL 2024 match in Chennai on Wednesday.

CSK are third in the standings with 10 points from nine matches -- same as Lucknow Super Giants, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals. The defending champions would like to break away from the mid-table gridlock with a crucial victory against Punjab Kings, who have struggled for consistency with three wins from nine games.

However, CSK can ill-afford to take Punjab lightly, who are coming in to this match after chasing down a world record total of 262 against Kolkata Knight Riders, the highest chase in the history of T20 cricket.

But the pitch at the M A Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk is a different beast, offering a semblance of assistance to the bowlers which was evident in CSK's impressive 78-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous match.

There was no dew in Chennai during that match as the CSK bowlers demolished SRH's potent batting unit with their accuracy and variations after their batters put on board a 200-plus total.

However, a few days before that game CSK's bowlers had suffered as Lucknow Super Giants' batters chased down a huge 211 for victory. The hosts will hope for a disciplined showing from their bowlers to keep the Punjab's rampaging batting line-up in check.

All eyes will once again be on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, who is on a hot streak. Gaikwad has registered scores of 108 and 98 in his last two innings and Kiwi all-rounder Daryl Mitchell too seemed to have regained his touch at just the right time with a 32-ball 52 against Hyderabad.

However, the real storm-force in the CSK line-up is Shivam Dube, who has pulverised the opposition bowlers with his big-hitting prowess in the middle overs.

While Dube has always been a spin-basher, the left-hander has now added another angle to his batting with his effective tackling of pacers. Dube has proved to be unstoppable in IPL 2024, smashing 350 runs at a strike-rate of 172.41, second only to Mahendra Singh Dhoni's 259.45.

However, the CSK opening combination continues to be a bit iffy. Gaikwad has been a solid presence but both now-dropped Rachin Ravindra and Ajinkya Rahane have not been able to play the support role to their skipper.

Rahane's last four outings as opener produced scores of 5, 36, 1, 9, and those numbers don't reflect his experience or skill-level. However, CSK in all likelihood will continue to back him.

Batting coach Michael Hussey had remarked that the 35-year-old was close to getting a big knock under his belt.

On the other hand, PBKS will be desperate to carry the momentum after that record chase against KKR and climb up the ladder from the current eighth place.

For that, their batters need to fire in unison once again and the onus is on Jonny Bairstow, who slammed a hundred against KKR, along with their in-form batting starts in Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma and Prabhsimran Singh.

It remains to be seen if regular captain Shikhar Dhawan makes a comeback against CSK, having missed the last few games because of a shoulder injury.

They will also be hoping for an impactful knock from their vice-captain Jitesh Sharma, who has been reliable with the gloves but has not excelled with the bat so far.

PBKS' bowling department looks a bit shaky despite having experienced campaigners such as Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran in their ranks.

The visitors will also require a much-improved effort from their spinners -- Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar – as they have scalped just seven wickets among them this season, while going for a lot of runs.

Teams:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Mahendra Singh Dhoni (w/k), 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, Sameer Rizvi.

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (captain), Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh (w/k), Jitesh Sharma (w/k), 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 at 7.30pm IST.

• IPL 2024