CHENNAI: After their creditable win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Chennai Super Kings will look to carry forward the momentum when they take on Punjab Kings on Wednesday.
CSK have won five out of nine matches and are currently at number three in the points table. PBKS have won three of their nine matches and are sitting at number eight on the points table. However, PBKS have won only one of their last five matches. Their recent record-breaking chase against Kolkata Knight Riders has made them a dangerous opponent on a given day and none can take them lightly with a short turnaround.
“We are used to this turnaround. The good thing is we have been at home for it. If you have to travel and play, it’s a bit more different. But we have gone through and going through the normal procedures,’’ said Stephen Fleming, chief coach of CSK.
The Chepauk pitch has offered some assistance to the bowlers, as evident in CSK’s win over SRH in their previous match. On the other hand, PBKS batting will once again depend upon Jonny Bairstow, Shashank Singh, and Prabhsimran Singh. However, when compared to CSK, their bowling lacks bite, despite the presence of players like Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, and Sam Curran. Their spinners Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar also need to fire. The duo have only taken seven wickets between them this season.
Fleming believes that it will not be easy to adapt conditions at Chepauk. “What we tend to concentrate on is enjoying any last performances that went well but quite quickly flicking into the next challenge. I would assume that the Kings would be buoyed by their performance in the last game, but they’ll also be realistic. Chennai is a little bit different. The size, the ground is different. Surface is different and when you’re away from home you’ve got to make those adjustments. But for us, we again just have to restart and try to get conditions right,” said Fleming.
Charl Langeveldt, fast bowling coach of Punjab, insisted that it would not be easy to take on CSK at their den. “It’s always a tricky wicket. It’s sometimes it will suit (their bowlers). It looks like we are playing on a fresh wicket. Hopefully, it has a bit of extra bounce for the bowlers. We have done well against them, but it’s always hard to play against them at their home venue. They know their conditions and they really bowl well in them,” said Charl, insisting that a call on Shikhar Dhawan will be taken on the eve of the match.
Finally, Fleming had a word of praise for Shivam Dube who has made it to the India T20 squad for the World Cup, which was announced on Tuesday evening. “I think he has proven this year that there’s a lot more to him, than just hitting spinners. He has raw power, which I think I said right back at the start of the tournament is something that impresses us and he has been consistent in the tournament,” opined head coach Fleming.