Punjab Kings will try to get their faltering campaign back on track when they take on an inspired Chennai Super Kings in match 38 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 on Monday.
CSK have won two of their seven matches so far, while Punjab Kings are slightly better with three wins from seven matches. While PBKS is in eighth place, CSK occupies the penultimate place in the IPL points table.
IPL 2022 Points table † Full coverage
Defending champion CSK faltered in all departments this season. They did not play the cricket they are known for under skipper Ravindra Jadeja who was unable to lead from the front.
However, they will be approaching the next match, encouraged by their three-wicket win against bottom-ranking Mumbai Indians, courtesy of Dhoni, who proved once again that he is the best finisher in the business. Hanging in the playoffs race through the skin of their teeth, a defeat on Monday will put CSK on the brink of elimination.
Punjab’s batting unit has been plagued with inconsistency all season. While they brag about power hitters like Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone and Shah Rukh Khan, consistency is something they would strive for. Jonny Bairstow has failed to shoot in the four games he has played and it will be seen if he will be replaced by Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa, who far outperformed the Englishman.
KEY PLAYERS
LIAM LIVING STONE (PBKS): Punjab Kings are said to be hoping Liam Livingstone returns to party when they face CSK. He was in sparkling form in IPL 2022. In PBKS’s final match against CSK, Livingstone came up with an all round performance to plummet Chennai.
Robin Uthappa (CSK): Chennai Super Kings relies on the veteran righthander for a good start against Punjab Kings. A joy to watch in full swing, he could be key against the inexperienced pace attack of the Kagiso Rabada-led bowling unit.
PREVIOUS MATCHES
PBKS: Punjab Kings have won three matches and lost four in the IPL 2022. However, they suffered a crushing 9 wicket defeat at the hands of Delhi Capitals in the final match and they will have little faith in the match.
CSK: Chennai Super Kings won their last game against Mumbai Indians but have had a far from impressive run in IPL 2022 as the Ravindra Jadeja-led side have only won two games and lost five overall.
PREDICTED XIs
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary