Toss Winner - Chennai Super Kings won the toss and chose to bowl first
Chennai Super Kings beat Punjab Kings by 6 wickets
Chennai Super Kings’ hunt for first win of the season
Punjab Kings to win
Tournament: Indian Premier League 2021 | Format: T20 | Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, India | Toss: To Bowl
Bet NowWe are into the 8th game in the Indian Premier League 2021 and Punjab Kings would be taking on the two time champions Chennai Super King at Mumbai. The Punjab Kings have started the season on a winning note defeating the Rajasthan Royals while the Chennai Super Kings failed to defend a big total against the Delhi Capitals in their opening game of the tournament.
The Chennai Super Kings’ bowling attack is looking toothless at the moment and the side is over dependent on its bowlers. They are an ageing side and this reflected in the last game. The side has had a good record against the Punjab Kings in the past and it remains to be seen if they are able to earn their first points of the season or the Punjab Kings march to their second consecutive win.
KL Rahul would be extremely happy with the start his side has received in the tournament. They defeated the Rajasthan Royals in a close contest by 4 runs holding onto their nerves in the final overs of the game. Having got over their reputation of being slow starters in the tournament, Rahul would aim for second consecutive win in this game.
Their batting looks good with Rahul and Mayank Agarwal in the side as both these players can offer a quick start to the game. Chris Gayle and Deepak Hooda played well in the last game and this will add to their confidence. With the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan and Jhye Richardson down the order the side has all bases covered as far their batting is concerned.
It is on the bowling front that the side needs to do well after the kind of beating they took in the last game. Mohammad Shami has to lead the attack with Arshdeep Singh as both of them did well in the last game. The side would however need better show with the ball from Richardson, Riley Meredith and Murugan Ashwin as they failed to contain the batsmen.
Top Batsman – KL Rahul
Top Bowler – Mohammad Shami
KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Jhye Richardson, Murugan Ashwin, Riley Meredith, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Riley Meredith, Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Mohammed Shami, Shahrukh Khan, Lokesh Rahul, Jhye Richardson, Nicholas Pooran, Murugan Ashwin, Mayank Agarwal, Deepak Hooda
MS Dhoni’s side struggled in the last game against Delhi Capitals failing to defend a good score on the board. The 7-wicket win would have hurt Dhoni as his bowlers looked clueless during most parts of the game. He would want his side to draw inspiration from the good record they have had against Punjab in the past.
They would be looking for a good start from Rituraj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis who played poorly in the last game. The middle order is looking good at the moment with Suresh Raina, Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu scoring runs. They would also look for big hits towards the end from Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran.
It is their bowling attack that needs to deliver here and the side would expect a good show with the new ball from Deepak Chahar and Curran. Imran Tahir’s entry into the side adds strength to their bowling as he bowls in tandem with Jadeja. The side would also be expecting better show from Shardul Thakur who was expensive in the last game.
Top Batsman – Faf du Plessis
Top Bowler – Imran Tahir
MS Dhoni (c & wk), Rituraj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Dwayne Bravo, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Deepak Chahar, SN Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni
The skies over Mumbai would be clear on April 16 and we expect this to be a high scoring game. The wicket is flat and there isn’t much for the bowlers as batsmen can hit through the line with ease. The side that bats first in the game would have a target of around 200 runs.
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai is one of the best T20 venues for the batsmen. The boundaries are smaller here and the pitch is flat which allows batsmen to play their strokes easily on this surface. Fast bowlers need to be smart on this surface while spinners do get the ball to stop on the batsmen and turn sharply.
We have seen two high scoring games at this venue and setting up a winning total is a big challenge here as the pitch stays good even in the second innings. Both the captains would have this in their mind at the toss and the one winning it is likely to opt for bowling first in this game.
Chennai Super Kings aren’t the same force they were few years back. The side has lost its agility and they would have to come out of this to win against a young and energetic team. Their bowlers have to come up with a better show to win here. Punjab Kings have got the rare perfect start to the season and they would look to capitalize on that. It will be a close contest but our money would be on Punjab thanks to their explosive batting line-up.
Punjab Kings to win
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