A defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in their previous encounter was a relatively minor hiccup for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP). As they return to Mohali, Punjab will be hoping to get their campaign back on track.
Earlier, after winning their opening encounter against Delhi Daredevils, Punjab lost their next game against Bangalore in their den.
In the first match, it was the fastest half-century by KL Rahul which ensured Punjab to reach the target with utmost comfort in the end.
The primary reason behind their defeat against Bangalore was a below-par performance by their middle order. They will surely be looking for a victory in the next match against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali on April 15.
The Punjab-based outfit will be up against a team which has won their first two games of the tournament. It was a sensational knock from Dwayne Bravo which handed them a victory in the opening encounter.
Photo by: Faheem Hussain / IPL/ SPORTZPICS
In the second match, it was quickfire knock from Sam Billings which ensured CSK chased the stiff target of 203 down in the final over of the match.
Bravo and Jadeja smacked a six each to finish the match and give yellow brigade their second victory of the tournament. CSK have been severely plagued by injuries in the recent past.
It prompted a remark from Dhoni in the last match. He said that if they keep losing players then at the end of the tournament they won’t have enough players to include in the playing XI.
Chennai have pulled off two incredible encounters from the jaws of defeat. Meanwhile, Punjab will be bolstered by the fact that Karun Nair and skipper Ravichandran Ashwin has been among runs.
The form of Yuvraj Singh remains a huge concern for Punjab. Ashwin was the most successful bowler for Punjab in the previous encounter bagging a couple of wickets.
Axar Patel and Andrew Tye who went for runs in the opening match made a stunning comeback in the previous encounter. It surely keeps the bowling department in a good stead.
Team Combinations –
Kings XI Punjab:
Punjab lost the previous encounter against Bangalore. There are several questions in their think tank. Whether Gayle deserves a chance? Would Aaron Finch be better equipped to opening the batting? Mohit Sharma leaked runs in their previous encounter.
However, paceman Ankit Rajpoot is in the wings and might make a debut for his new franchise in the favour of Mohit.
But Punjab is somewhat expected to retain the same XI from the previous encounter.
Predicted XI: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Aaron Finch, Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Andrew Tye, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Chennai Super Kings:
Kedhar Jadhav is no longer available for the franchise after sustaining a hamstring injury in the opening encounter. Middle-order batsman Suresh Raina is also expected to miss at least one game if not a couple.
Faf du Plessis is also on the road to recovery. Meanwhile, South African speedster Lungisani Ngidi has flown back home after his father’s demise.
In all likelihood, Murali Vijay might replace Raina in the XI. Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu were brilliant at the top of the order in the previous match.
In both the matches they were under pressure but certain individual performances helped them come out as winners.
Match Prediction:
Punjab will be playing on their home ground. Chennai on other had has won couple of close matches in the tournament so far. Despite Chennai’s dominance over Punjab in the head to head battle, I have a gut feeling that Punjab will emerge victorious.
However, Kings XI Punjab side is looking favourites and might emerge as the winners. Kl Rahul might return as the main player of the encounter.
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