This is going to be a fascinating battle as Kings XI Punjab take on Chennai Super Kings in their last league stage match with a playoff berth at stake. KXIP looked primed to secure a playoff spot a couple of days back but they lost to Rajasthan Royals in their previous match and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s win over Royal Challengers Bangalore have made things only worse for them. They are now placed at sixth with 12 points and are only separated by the teams at fourth, fifth, and seventh places by NRR. What they will need in this match is a big win to ensure that they finish with an NRR higher than the other teams fighting for the same spot.
Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, are already out of playoff contention. But they will be playing for their pride and thus will want to give out their 100 percent in this match, just like they have in the last couple of games. They have won both of their last two matches and some of their players like Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ravindra Jadeja, Lungi Ngidi, and Sam Curran have shown great form. They would be eager to finish on a high and KXIP will be wary of them as well. Even minor mistakes in this match can cost them their playoff berth.
Team News
Mayank Agarwal is expected to sit out of this match once again as he hasn’t recovered from his injury yet. So KXIP might go with the same Playing XI. Chennai Super Kings have a clean bill of health as well and thus they are expected to keep their XI unchanged too.
Probable Playing XI
Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, N Jagadeesan, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Karn Sharma/Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi
Kings XI Punjab
KL Rahul, Mandeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Fantasy Tips
- KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Nicholas Pooran are absolute must-haves in this game. They are expected to take the CSK bowling attack to the cleaners.
- From CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad is the only reliable batting option whereas Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran are the best all-round assets.
- As far as the bowlers go, Mohammad Shami and Deepak Chahar can be expected to have a good day in the seam friendly conditions of Abu Dhabi.
Fantasy Team
KL Rahul
Nicholas Pooran
Chris Gayle
Ruturaj Gaikwad
Shane Watson
Mandeep Singh
Ravindra Jadeja
Sam Curran
Deepak Chahar
Mohammad Shami
Lungi Ngidi
