A loss for CSK against PBKS will knock them out of the playoffs
Punjab Kings have the chance to get back into the top four again
Deivarayan Muthu
29-Apr-2025
Big picture: Fortress Chepauk has fallen
Once a fortress for Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Chepauk has been breached by four teams in IPL 2025. Should that trend continue and Punjab Kings (PBKS) enjoy success on Wednesday night, it will mean that CSK will officially be out of the playoffs race.
A lot will depend on the openers once more. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya bat with high intent and explosive power but there are vulnerabilities below them. Glenn Maxwell and Josh Inglis are yet to make a substantial score in this IPL, which has contributed to a situation where PBKS' middle order has the second-lowest strike rate (130.75) and third-lowest average (24.17) among all ten teams in the competition.
They tried to remedy this by bumping Marco Jansen up to No. 5 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), but it didn't work with the allrounder labouring to 3 off 7 balls. While Inglis has enhanced his reputation as an excellent player of spin, PBKS might consider bringing back Marcus Stoinis, who hit a spectacular hundred the last time he played at Chepauk in IPL 2024.
CSK's batting is even more dire and after having lurched from one defeat to another, their coach Stephen Fleming has traced the struggles back to November's mega auction.
CSK have already used as many as 21 players this season and with their faint playoffs chances fading fast, they will see the remaining games as another opportunity to introduce other new players and perhaps lay the groundwork for the next auction. They've already taken steps towards the future by easing both Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis into the team and putting the likes of Vansh Bedi and Ramakrishna Ghosh in match-simulation training at their High Performance Academy on the outskirts of the city.
Form guide
Chennai Super Kings: LLWLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Punjab Kings: LWWLW
Punjab Kings: LWWLW
In the spotlight: Uncapped opening pairs
An IPL game is set to feature four uncapped Indians opening the batting for the first time in the league's history.
Ayush Mhatre and Shaik Rasheed have added some freshness to CSK's stale batting approach. Mhatre, in particular, has bristled with attacking intent, regularly pumping the ball over the top in the powerplay. Two days after his India Under-19 opening partner Vaibhav Suryavanshi turned heads, Mhatre will look to put up a show of his own at Chepauk.
Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh have scored at a run rate of 10.69 this season, just behind Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma's 10.89, among opening pairs. The last time PBKS ran into CSK, Arya announced his arrival in the IPL with a 39-ball hundred. Is this now Prabhsimran's turn to go big?
Team news and probable XIIs
CSK might consider giving uncapped wicketkeeper-batter Vansh Bedi a game in place of Deepak Hooda. R Ashwin might return if the Chepauk surface favours spin. The offspinner has rejoined CSK's side after receiving his Padma Shri award in Delhi on Monday.
Chennai Super Kings (probable): 1 Ayush Mhatre, 2 Shaik Rasheed, 3 Sam Curran 4 Dewald Brevis, 5 Shivam Dube, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Vansh Bedi/Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar, 8 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 9 Anshul Kamboj/R Ashwin, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Khaleel Ahmed, 12 Matheesha Pathirana.
PBKS will have to choose between Inglis and Stoinis. They will also have to make a choice between Azmatullah Omarzai and Xavier Bartlett on the bowling front.
Punjab Kings (probable): 1 Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Josh Inglis/Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nehal Wadhera, 7 Shashank Singh, 8 Marco Jansen, 9 Azmatullah Omarzai, 10 Harpreet Brar, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Arshdeep Singh
The big question
Maxwell has managed only 48 runs in six innings at a sub-100 strike rate this season, but his offspin will come in handy against CSK's left-handers. He has a good IPL record against Dube, conceding just 26 runs off 27 balls while taking his wicket once in the IPL.
Pitch and conditions: Even Dhoni can't crack Chepauk
The Chepauk conditions continue to be a mystery for even the home team. MS Dhoni has said that CSK haven't quite come to grips with them since the pitch was relaid in 2010. "The groundstaff are trying their level best, but we are never sure this is how the wicket is," Dhoni said on Friday. Dew hampered CSK's bowlers in their previous fixture and it had also set in on Tuesday evening, so the team winning the toss will look to chase once again.
Stats and trivia: Chahal vs Jadeja
- Yuzvendra Chahal has kept Ravindra Jadeja to 31 off 30 balls in the IPL while dismissing him twice. The wristspinner has also tied Dhoni down 102 off 80 balls, three dismissals.
- Khaleel Ahmed has taken eight wickets in nine innings in the powerplay at an economy rate of 8.70. Nobody has more wickets than Khaleel during this phase in this IPL.
- CSK have hit just five sixes in the powerplay this season, with their new recruit Mhatre claiming two of those. In comparison, PBKS have 27 sixes during this phase.
- CSK have never lost more than four games at home in an IPL season before.
Quotes
"There's a lot of motivation in the team and motivation could not be high for guys like Mhatre and Shaik Rasheed. They're jumping out of their skins to play in the IPL."
CSK batting coach Mike Hussey
CSK batting coach Mike Hussey
"I think it's always dangerous playing teams that have nothing to lose but our focus has to be on the first ball tomorrow night. All the teams in this comp are so dangerous and they can beat anyone on their day."
PBKS fast-bowling coach James Hopes on facing CSK
PBKS fast-bowling coach James Hopes on facing CSK
Deivarayan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo