Punjab Kings will have their task cut out when they visit the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to play the Chennai Super Kings on Wednesday in match 49 of the Indian Premier League 2024. (Preview | Full IPL Coverage)
The hosts are currently third in the table with 5 wins but they have also lost four games. CSK have been a bit inconsistent with winning and losing games regularly. However, in their last game they came out on top of a dangerous Sunrisers Hyderabad side in a game that they won by 78 runs.
Even without the form of their kiwi duo of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, the Super Kings have done well with the bat.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, the captain, is in good form and Shivam Dube will be on a high after his ticket to the T20 World Cup. In Bowling, Matheesha Pathirana has been the star while others have chipped in with useful wickets.
Despite giving teams a run for their money, Punjab Kings have not been able to come out on top in close matches.
They will be flying high after a record chase of 262 against KKR in their last match. Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh came back into form and that will give their struggling top order confidence.
Their bowling and the lower order with Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma has done well but it's the top-order that has repeatedly failed. But as was shown in the last match, if the big names contribute with the bat Punjab Kings can be a very dangerous team.
Here are the three key player battles that will decide the course of the CSK vs PBKS, IPL 2024 match.
Tushar Deshpande vs PBKS Openers
Tushar Deshpande got rid of the dangerous duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in CSK's last outing against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He will again be Gaikwad's hope of early wickets against Punjab Kings.
The openers of the Kings showed great form in the last game scoring 93 runs in the powerplay. Deshpande will have the duty to get rid of the dangerous duo of Prabhsimran Singh and Bairstow when these two teams meet.
Will the Kngs' openers continue their form or Deshpande would carry on on his good new ball bowling? The battle will be interesting to watch.
Shivam Dube vs Kagiso Rabada
Shivam Dube will be on a high with his selection in the T20 World Cup 15-member squad. He will be eager to build on on the confidence and continue with his fine form in the season to stake a claim in the starting XI.
Punjab will definitely employee their best bet against him: Kagiso Rabada. The pace and accuracy of the South African fast bowler could trouble Dube but it will not stop the hard-hitting left hander from taking him on.
An interesting match up awaits the fans when these two men clash.
Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Arshdeep Singh
After a slow start to the season, Ruturaj Gaikwad has discovered his usual form by hitting a century and a good 98. His silky stroke play against new ball and his prowess of milking spin make him a vital player in the Super Kings' lineup.
Arshdeep Singh is Punjab Kings' trusted man with the new ball and we have seen swing upfront can trouble Gaikwad.
But will there be swing on the Chepauk surface? If there is swing then the Punjab Kings' bowler will have the upper hand but if there is not, dismissing Gaikwad could be a tough task for the PBKS.
