Chennai Super Kings won the toss and decided to field first against Kings XI Punjab in the twelfth match of the Indian Premier League at the PCA Stadium, Mohali.
Here is what the captains said:
MS Dhoni:
“We are bowling first. Pitch looks good as of now, quiet a few venues are getting dew. It is too early for any spice in the tournament. We have a forced change. Suresh raina is not fit so Murali Vijay comes in place of him. We are a team of old-age people so we have to keep ourselves fit. It is all about the process.”
Ravichandran Ashwin:
“Too early to get any spice in the tournament. We will treat it just as a normal game. We have two got two changes. Unfortunately, Axar Patel has a small niggle and he misses out. Barinder Sran comes in place of him”
Preview:
Hosts Kings XI Punjab will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing to the Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last game. A fine bowling performance with the ball and the quickest half-century in the IPL, by KL Rahul, helped them hit the ground running before they were brought back on earth in Bangalore. But with a team that is well capable of going all the way, they will be keen to forget the defeat and register a win at home.
On the other hand, Super Kings will be high on confidence after winning their first two games. In the first game, they chased down 166 against Mumbai Indians despite being 118 for 8. In the second game, they chased down a mammoth 203 to send out an statement of intent. However, their chances against Kings XI can be hurt by the absence of some key players. Suresh Raina will miss the game with a calf injury while Kedar Jadhav has been ruled out of the entire season.
Playing elevens:
Kings XI Punjab:
Lokesh Rahul(w), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Ravichandran Ashwin(c), Andrew Tye, Barinder Sran, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Chennai Super Kings:
Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Murali Vijay, MS Dhoni(w/c), Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur