The second part of the Indian Premier League double header on Tuesday sees the two Kings meeting when the Punjab Kings go up against the Chennai Super Kings in what is a key outing for the visitors in Mullanpur.
Chennai Super Kings have one win in four contests at present and need to turn that around while Punjab will be looking to make up for their opening loss of the campaign last time out so this one is nicely poised heading in.
Punjab Kings
The Punjab Kings picked up a couple of wins in their opening two matches away from home and then they would have headed back to their own turf for their first home game in match three confident of building on a good start but they weren’t really at the races at all against the Rajasthan Royals and came up a long way short. That didn’t undo the good work that they did on the road but it does throw up one or two questions that are going to need answering quickly before they become an issue.
That match was the first game in which their openers both failed and there has been calls for someone like Marcus Stoinis to go up the order so they certainly won’t want both openers struggling at the same time. Shreyas Iyer could have used his bowlers a little better than he did too but that would have been the first time he captained on this ground and you would hope that he would make the necessary adjustments here. If the batting unit do likewise then Punjab should be fine still.
Chennai Super Kings
The Chennai Super Kings got off to a solid start in this competition when they were far too good for the Mumbai Indians but there were concerns going into the tournament that this was a side who were aging together and would they be suited to the aggressive style of the modern T20 game. It was hoped that the sluggish nature of the wickets in Chennai would prove the difference and bridge that gap but two defeats in three at home since that first game suggests that isn’t the case.
The Super Kings have also lost their only away game this term as well and really do need to find some firepower in their batting as soon as possible. In their last outing against the Delhi Capitals, not one Chennai batter registered a strike rate of 130 or more and the way the rules are in this competition these days that isn’t going to get a team anywhere regardless of the venue. The other issue that Chennai are having is that they haven’t picked up multiple wickets in a powerplay since the opening game and when you let teams build a platform in this competition carnage ensues.
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Key Players
Shreyas Iyer paced the innings perfectly in the two games that the Punjab Kings won this season but he was out for 10 in the one that they lost. The Kings will be looking for their captain to come to the party and guide the innings here.
When you look at this Chennai top six there is a lot of pressure on the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to deliver the goods because he is the only free scoring batter in the top three. He should open and look to go after the fielding restrictions.
Betting
The Punjab Kings were my pick for this tournament whereas I thought that the Chennai Super Kings might struggle because they have grown a little old together and while you should always be flexible in your thought processes once the competition begins and as it goes on, I’ve not really seen anything to suggest that I am wrong with those initial thoughts and as such I’m going to take the Punjab Kings to win this match and get back on track after that loss last time out.
The big issue that I have with the Super Kings is that their openers don’t really get on with it and if the bowling team can get into a nice rhythm against them then Chennai might not be able to come back, especially if they are chasing because they have put in some very weird run chases. Punjab bat a long way down and they have good hitters of spin which is always important against Chennai so I’m going to take the team I fancied right from the start to win this one.
Tips
Back Punjab Kings to beat Chennai Super Kings for a 3/10 stake at 1.75 with Betway
