After a dreadful start to their respective seasons, Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab will be desperate to revive their campaign when they take on each other in the 18th match of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020.
Both the teams have managed just one win from their opening four games and are occupying the bottom two spots in the points table. Unlike Chennai Super Kings, Kings XI Punjab have not looked weak but have not really managed to grab the crucial moments so far.
In KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, they have two of the best batsmen of IPL 2020 in their ranks while the likes of Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell and Ravi Bishnoi have done well with the ball too. The Punjab-based outfit just needs to clinch the moments on the field and they might become one of the best teams in the competition.
On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings are looking like a pale shadow of their usual self. They have lost three games in a row while chasing for the first time since 2014 and the way their batsmen are performing at the moment, it won’t be very surprising if they go on to lose some more.
In the absence of Suresh Raina, the middle-order is looking extremely weak as the likes of Kedar Jadhav and MS Dhoni have failed to deliver. Ambati Rayudu, who had scored a match-winning fifty in the tournament-opener, returned in the previous game but could not make a difference either. The poor form of Shane Watson at the top is another worry for the three-time champions.
Toss report:
Kings XI Punjab have won the toss and have elected to bat first against Chennai Super Kings.
Playing elevens:
Chennai Super Kings:
Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Sam Curran, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla
Kings XI Punjab:
KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell