Battle of the North vs South. Battle of the Kings. Battle of the mid half of the table. Punjab and Chennai square off in the interesting battle for the weekend as the win today would have CSK go to the top 3 / PBKS close in to the top 5. It’s going to be interesting today as there would be more masala added to the match happening at one of the most iconic and stunning and beautiful stadiums of the country, HPCA Stadium, at Dharamshala .
Punjab Kings:
Punjab Kings are blowing hot and cold this season. Absence of Shikhar Dhawan is not being felt much as Sam Curran is doing his best in leading the team and the players are stepping up whenever they are needed. Harshal Patel is slowly becoming the weak link he used to be in the previous seasons and it is time the management looks ahead and picks someone like Vidwath Kaverappa who can deliver the goods the team looks for. Kaverappa has an economy of 5.89 and averages 12 in T20s. Harshal was also used for only one over in the last match against Chennai knowing that he would leak runs which was a smart move by Sam Curran. Jitesh Sharma is having a season to forget and he can be rested so that he can collect himself back and have Prabhsimran Singh / Jonny Bairstow don the gloves. Rabada, once a monster in bowling, has not been providing the performances he used to give. If he continues to go the way he is now, he should be rested and one in either of Nathan Ellis / Chris Woakes should be drafted.
Probable XI:
Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh (WK), Sam Curran (C), Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada / Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa
Impact Subs: Harpreet Singh Bhatia / Tanay Thyagarajan
Chennai Super Kings:
Say Dharamshala in IPL and the thought instantly springs to the mayhem Dhoni caused in 2010 finishing with a fist hit to the helmet.
Although sitting in the mid of the table, it is high time the management looks at the combination and brings in panache in the team. Ajinkya Rahane has not been the same after the last two seasons and it is high time he is rested and the team should try bringing in Shaik Rasheed with Ruturaj at the top. Shivan Dube can be used as an impact player like last year and Rizvi can be made to play in the middle. Now that Fizz has left for the Zimbabwe tour and Gleeson showing glimpses of what he can do and Deepak Chahar and Deshpande nursing injuries, maybe Simarjeet Singh / Mukesh Choudhary can be drafted to the team or Santner can be drafted in who would play a brilliant role in both the bowling and batting. He can also be used in the Powerplay and later Moeen and Jaddu can be used in the middle to choke the opposition. One slip here would make the playoffs chances very slim for the defending champions who would want to send their senior player and fans favourite Dhoni with a trophy.
Probable XI:
Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Daryll Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Mitchell Santner / Matheesha Pathirana, Shardul Thakur, Mukesh Choudhary / Simarjeet Singh, Richard Gleeson
Impact Subs: Maheesh Theekshana / Shivam Dube
Weather and Pitch Report:
The temperatures will be around 22 degrees in the daytime with partly sunny weather around with a couple of showers in the afternoon as per Accuweather. This is the first game of the season at this venue and weather might play a part in this game.
Showers are expected in the afternoon. The weather will clear out by the evening and the temperatures will be around 18 percent which should be pleasant. The impact of dew will be an interesting observation.
Dharamsala is one of the grounds in India where there is pace seam and swing movement. This is an afternoon game and the bowlers will try to extract the most out of the wicket with the moisture that sets in.
Team bowling first can have the advantage of making the first use of the conditions that might work in their favor. The average first innings score in T20Is at this venue is around 150.
There is a chance of the PBKS vs CSK game likely to be interrupted by rain. As per reports, there is a chance of rain in the afternoon which might well mean a delayed start if it eventually rains.
The weather will clear out by the evening but there is a fair amount of rain expected in the afternoon. There is a 60 percent chance of rain in the daytime.
Stats Corner:
- H2H Record: Chennai and Punjab have faced each other in 29 matches in IPL. Out of these 29 games, Chennai have won 15 whereas Punjab have come out victorious on 14 occasions.
- Dhoni is just 2 sixes away from completing 250 IPL sixes.
- Dhoni is just 1 catch away from completing 150 IPL catches.
- Shivam Dube needs only 1 six to complete 100 IPL sixes.
- Jonny Bairstow needs 5 fours to reach 300 fours in T20s.
- Jadeja needs 7 fours to reach 250 fours in T20s.
(Source: Cricket fanatic friends from Bouncer Avenue and external cricket websites)
Match Details:
Time: 3: 30 PM IST
Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, Mohali
Live broadcast: Star Sports Network
Live streaming: JioCinema app
Predicted Dream XI:
