“If you see the Powerplay, whether it was the combination or the conditions, we are struggling with both bat and ball,” Dhoni had said
CSK skipper MS during the IPL match vs Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede recently. Pic/AFP
Their play-off hopes all but over, Chennai Super Kings would look to turn around a floundering campaign when they square off against a better-placed but erratic Punjab Kings in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.
Poor show by Chennai
It has been a disappointing season for five-time champions CSK, languishing at the bottom of the table with just two wins out of nine games.
PBKS, on the other hand, are placed fifth in the standings with five wins from nine matches and would look to rise up with a victory against a demoralised CSK side, which failed to get its combinations right so far in the season.
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What has been most disheartening for CSK is their inability to master the home conditions at the Chepauk, considered a fortress for a long time.,CSK would be desperate to register their third win of the tournament to keep slim hopes of making it to the playoffs alive. Even a talisman like Mahendra Singh Dhoni has failed to fire up the side after taking over the leadership from Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been ruled out due to an elbow injury. And Dhoni admitted that CSK are struggling to get their line-ups right.
“If you see the Powerplay, whether it was the combination or the conditions, we are struggling with both bat and ball,” Dhoni had said.
CSK’s young recruit Ayush Mhatre, who grabbed eyeballs on his IPL debut, will look to put on a strong display when he takes on Arshdeep Singh in the Powerplay. The most entertaining battle is expected to be between Shivam Dube and Yuzvendra Chahal in the middle overs. Chahal has been in fine form in the second half of the tournament, and it would be interesting to see how the CSK middle order handles him.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have been in good form for PBKS while opening the batting and the onus would be on left-arm pacer Khaleel Ahmed to contain the duo. In skipper Shreyas Iyer, PBKS have got a batter, who can control the pace of the game, but CSK would rely on Afghanistan spinner Noor Ahmad to deliver the goods.
Can’t get combination right
At 43, Dhoni has shown glimpses of his legendary finishing skills but despite being a shrewd tactician, he is struggling to field a winning combination on the field.
Rachin Ravindra too has been inconsistent at the top. The struggles of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin and Matheesha Pathirana haven’t helped CSK’s cause either.
On the batting front, the likes of Vijay Shankar, Deepak Hooda and Rahul Tripathi have been below par. In Marco Jansen, PBKS have a very good all-rounder, while the bowling unit will be spearheaded by Arshdeep and Chahal.
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