Punjab Kings (PBKS) will play Chennai Super Kings(CSK) in Match 38 of IPL 2022, on 25 April at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Barring a dramatic change of fortune for both teams and a loss of form from the sides above them in the points table, neither side looks a favourite for a playoffs berth.
Defending champions CSK have enjoyed a minor revival by winning two recent games. Despite that, only the dire performances of the winless Mumbai Indians has kept them off the bottom of the table. Punjab are one place and two points above them, but it already seems like the long wait of their fans for IPL trophy success will continue for another year.
CSK can at least still rely on the services of M.S. Dhoni. Even at 40, Dhoni showed he could still do it when it mattered, with a major batting performance against the bottom side the Indians. And, their bowling, which has been a big problem in the absence of Deepak Chahar and Adam Milne, showed signs of promise in the form of rookie seamer Mukesh Choudhary who picked up three wickets.
Punjab come into the match after a heavy defeat to the Delhi Capitals. Their biggest problem has been consistency of their top order batters, who have failed to perform as a unit. Instead, their strength has lain to date in their bowling: Kagiso Rabada continues to deliver tight, threatening spells, Arshdeep Singh has been economical, and Rahul Chahar has posed problems for most batters.
Likely XIs
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Benny Howell, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja (c), M.S. Dhoni (wk), Dwaine Pretorius, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary
Fantasy Tips
• Pick Uthappa. A consistent run getter for Chennai this season, he can have another big part to play in this match.
• Bravo, the top wicket-taker in IPL history, can always be counted on in the death overs despite not getting younger.
• Pick Dube among all-rounders.
• Rabada will need to have another good match if his side are to prevail, pick him.
Streaming
Match 38, between Punjab Kings and Chennai Super KIngs will start at 19:30 on Monday, 25 April. You can watch the match on the Star Network and Hotstar.