IPL 2021 PBKS vs CSK 8th Match, Probable Playing XI: Will MS Dhoni's Kings Finally Roar?
In the 8th match of IPL 2021, Chennai Super Kings(CSK) will meet Punjab Kings(PBKS) in Mumbai on Friday. CSK lost their first match of the tournament against Delhi Capitals(DC) while PBKS defeated Rajasthan Royals in their season opener.
Punjab Kings had a great start in the tournament, especially with the bat. They got a batting-friendly pitch and made full use of it. The top-order looks solid with the likes of KL Rahul, Chris Gayle contributing in the last game.
Although Mayank Agarwal and Nicholas Pooran couldn't contribute much, it is still a deadly top-order. Deepak Hooda had an amazing last game and he will be the player to watch out for this season. Shahrukh Khan could be the game-changer in this game. He has looked good and has a great power-hitting ability.
The bowlers couldn't do much with dew but they were still able to defend 222, even though it was a close game. Arshdeep Singh is an underrated bowler and picks at least one wicket per match. Mohammad Shami and Jhye Richardson had a decent outing in their last game. Chris Jordan could come in place of Riley Meredith in this game.
Chennai Super Kings, despite having so much depth in their batting, was not able to reach a par score in their first game. Its openers - Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis - failed to get going. There is a case of Robin Uthappa coming in as an opener. Moeen Ali had a decent outing coming to bat at number 3 and could play a match-winning innings in that position.
One of the positives would be the Suresh Raina factor. The left-hander smashed his way to a fifty although he didn't play a professional game in a long time.
Sam Curran is the key player for CSK and so is Ravindra Jadeja since they will be providing the finishing touch to innings. Shardul Thakur had an off-game but he has is in good form lately and can provide the breakthroughs.
The team management will be looking at Lungi Ngidi to add as an extra bowler but for that, they have to take a call of replacing either du Plessis or Dwayne Bravo.
Chennai Super Kings have been a better team than Punjab Kings in the past. However, PBKS is looking as favorites for this game considering the form of the batsmen and the weak bowling of CSK.
PBKS Probable Playing XI - KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Murugan Ashwin/ Ravi Bishnoi, Riley Meredith/ Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
CSK Probable Playing XI - Ruturaj Gaikwad/ Robin Uthappa, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar