Battle of Kings: CSK to face PBKS in Chennai's homeground today

CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are once again back to winning ways on home soil, and they'd be banking on its batters to put up a good show against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad-led CSK holds an impressive 80% win record at Chepauk. Having won all but one match, they would be looking to pick up important points before they travel to Dharamsala later this week.

CSK played SRH at home earlier on Sunday and comfortably eased past them, courtesy of some responsible batting from Gaikwad and Daryl Mitchell upfront, and some hard-hitting from Shivam Dube in the middle. CSK will be hoping that their batters continue the similar form, although there are concerns in the opening mix with Ajinkya Rahane not operating at his usual best and Rachin Ravindra dropping form as the season progressed. However, Gaikwad has been merrier to watch; he scored a century and fell short before another one earlier this week against SRH. "Gaikwad’s been spectacular in the past few years; he has taken the captaincy in his stride. He has captained his domestic team previously and he’s very much in the mold of CSK. He’s handling everything well," said Stephen Fleming, discussing Gaikwad’s batting since taking up the captaincy role.

CSK will be playing Punjab away from home later this weekend and will aim to win the first contest at home on Wednesday with the yellove support rallying behind the team. With the league well-open and bottom-placed teams picking up wins, it’s all the more important for CSK to win this match at home before traveling.

Shivam Dube Makes the Cut for T20 WC

Shivam Dube has been instrumental in CSK’s success this season, with a strike rate averaging 170 plus and 350 runs in nine games. His batting prowess was rewarded when he was named in the squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, set to start in June. Dube, who is widely regarded as a good player against spin, has unskilled his game in terms of batting. Teams generally do their homework for him, and in the games against Lucknow Super Giants and Mumbai Indians, he faced a total of just five deliveries from spinners. However, that doesn’t limit him as he took on Pat Cummins and T Natarajan towards the end against SRH, proving that he can take on any bowler, whether domestic or overseas, irrespective of the bowling method. He currently holds a strike rate of 172 against pace and 174 against spinners.

"It’s fantastic; he has proven this year that there’s a lot more to him than just hitting spin. In the World Cup, you need some X-factor players, and I’m delighted that he’s going to get that opportunity. He’s a lot more complete in terms of what he’s trying to do and understanding his game, and that comes with experience," said Fleming, discussing Dube’s inclusion and growth as an overall player.

Head to head

Matches played: 28

CSK wins 15

PBKS wins 13

No result 0