Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will seek revenge in the IPL on April 23 when they take on the underdogs Lucknow Super Giants in Chennai, with both teams desperate to escape the mid-table stalemate.
KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock put together a record opening partnership when the two teams met in Lucknow last week and it proved to be the difference as LSG joined CSK on eight points in the IPL standings.
The Super Kings are a force to be reckoned with at home and will be aiming to break the record this time around. After losing away from home, CSK will be keen to reverse the three-game losing streak at home and move towards the playoffs.
For CSK, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dubey did most of the scoring, while their loss against LSG meant they didn’t get off to a great start and struggled in midfield.
Although opener Rachin Ravindra’s form was a concern, CSK also promoted Ajinkya Rahane as the opener, only for Gaikwad to drop himself to third.
Having scored three 50-plus in the opener so far, it will once again be a tricky question for Gaikwad whether to stick with the latest change or push himself to the top.
While Ravindra Jadeja came in and scored 50, which allowed Moeen Ali and MS Dhoni to provide a spark in the dying moments and fight for the team, CSK will hope their top players can get their act together before they face LSG again.
CSK’s bowling unit was helpless against the ferocious duo of Rahul and Quinton the other day.
Youngster Mathisha Pathirana is their best bowler but the onus is on pacers Deepak Chahal, Tushar Deshpande and Mustafizur Rahman to perform better when facing the same opposition again.
Left-arm spinner Jadeja has also struggled and has done so in the past, he needs to establish himself on his home ground.
Hitting the ball has always been a problem for LSG, but they have shown how devastating they can be if they have top-end firepower.
Rahul and Quinton are doing well and Chepak will once again shoulder the responsibility. Additionally, Nicolas has delivered top-notch performances in times of need and LSG will rely heavily on him.
On the bowling front, LSG will hope for the return of young pace star Mayank Yadav, who has missed two matches with a groin strain.
Pacers Mohsin Khan and Yash Thakur did well to restrict CSK initially but found themselves in Dhoni’s line of fire in the final over, a job they needed to do before stepping into Dhoni’s lap. Matt Henry, who did not get a wicket on debut for LSG, is also keen to prove himself.
On the spin front, Krunal Pandya’s two wickets in the middle overs played a big role and he needs to take the lead again against CSK while young L Ravi Bishnoi on the other hand has to overcome Ali’s thrashing to find his place. The magic is back.
The visitors will take their chances but LSG will need to be consistent to get another win in CSK’s citadel.
Squad:
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Mathisha Pathirana, Nishant Sindhu, Moeen Ali, Moeen Ali . , Shaik Rashid, Areveli Avneesh, Mahesh Thekshana, RS Hungergekar, Simarjit Singh, Mukesh Chowdhury, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Yadav Mondal, Richard Gleeson and Deepak Chahar.
Lucknow Super Giants: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (midweek), Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Marcus Stoinis, Nicholas Pooran, Krunal Pandya, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Shamar Joseph, Yash Tagore, Manimaran Siddharth, Prerak Mankad, Arshad Khan, Krishnapap Golam, Amit Mishra, Kyle Meyers, Ashton Turner, Matt Henry, Naveen-ul-Haq, Devdutta Padikkal, Yudveer Singh, Mayank Yadav and Arshin Kulkarni.
Match Start Time: 7.30 pm (IST).
Tags: IPL17 CSK LSG Chennai Super Kings Lucknow Super Giants escape midtable deadlock
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