CSK seek rhythm against potent Punjab Kings

Chennai, Apr 2: Chennai Super Kings will need to improve significantly in all departments of the game to trouble a potent Punjab Kings in their first home game of the Indian Premier League here on Friday.

It was a uninspiring start for CSK in their opener against Rajasthan Royals.

CSK, now a team full of youngsters, did not get anything right in Guwahati and would simply like to leave that comprehensive defeat behind in a long tournament such as the IPL.

Considering how the Chennai surface played in the recent T20 World Cup, it should be a good batting wicket for the game on Friday.

While the injured MS Dhoni did not travel to Guwahati, he could be back in the dugout as a sounding board to captain Ruturaj Gaikwad while he nurses a calf strain. Sanju Samson, their biggest signing for the season, did not last long on his CSK debut and would be looking to make a big impact in front of home fans.

CSK did not have the services of their key batter Dewald Brevis against Royals and there is still no clarity over his recovery from a side strain.

Sarfaraz Khan was brought into the field as an impact player following the batting collapse. He did not last long but looked comfortable in the middle in his first IPL game since 2023 season.

More will be expected from youngsters like Kartik Sharma as the tournament progresses.

On the bowling front, the likes of Matt Henry and Noor Ahmad were made to look ordinary by the sheer belligerence of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. They would be itching to bounce back from that pasting.

CSK take on last year’s finalists Punjab Kings, who have become a formidable unit in the Shreyas Iyer-Ricky Ponting era.

As they aim to go all the way this season, they have found an able number three in Cooper Connolly who anchored a tense chase against Gujarat Titans on Tuesday night.

The middle-order wobbled in what should have been a straightforward chase and that will push the team to produce a more convincing performance with the bat.

Yuzvendra Chahal, who returns to another IPL as a fitter cricketer, impressed with his variations of line and pace against the Titans, choking the flow of runs in the middle overs while dismissing two key batters.

The team’s another consistent performer, Harpeet Brar, was not part of the playing 12. Punjab Kings would need to a find way to play him in the the eleven or as an impact player.

Vijaykumar Vyshak carried on from where he left off last season, doing the job for Punjab Kings in all phases of the innings.