CSK looks to bounce back on home turf after last week's defeat

CHENNAI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to level scores at home when they take on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday.

CSK suffered an eight-wicket loss last week against the Nawabs, with openers KL Rahul and Quinton de Kock troubling the CSK bowlers right from the start. CSK entered the game against Lucknow having won twice as many games as they had lost. Despite batting first, the defending champions weren’t able to pose a threatening score, with most of its batters underperforming and Ravindra Jadeja providing a consolation with a half-century. Now, with CSK back home, they’ll be eyeing redemption and aiming to get back to winning ways. "Every game is tough. We played LSG at their conditions. I thought we put up a decent fight, but we were probably a bit behind throughout the game. The bonus for us is that we know the conditions here well, and we also have the fans backing us. It will motivate and lift us and help us cross the line," said Michael Hussey, batting coach of CSK, during the pre-match press conference.

CSK would be hoping for Rachin Ravindra to start firing once again. After a decent start to the season, the Kiwi is currently struggling to score runs and was dismissed for a duck last week against LSG. "Rachin’s been going well. Batting can be fickle, especially at the top of the order, but he’s still in a good mental space, and his game looks in good working order. He’s just one innings away from that big score. That would be my message to him. Hopefully, he'll get some big scores soon," added Hussey.

CSK will also rely heavily on its bowlers to make an impact, with Mustafizur set to leave the camp for national duty in the coming month. "He’s been fantastic for us. He got off to a great start and combined well with Pathirana in the death overs. We’ll be sad when he goes, but obviously, his country’s calling. We'd want to keep him as long as we can, and we’ve been delighted with his output so far," said Hussey.

Back-to-back games at home

Within the next two weeks, CSK will be playing thrice at home (including today’s contest), and it will be crucial for the team to secure most points. They will also be taking on high-flying Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) during this period, who defeated them earlier this season. "The closer we get to the back-end of the tournament, every win becomes very lucrative. We have a good home record, and we’d like to keep it intact. We’re going to take it one game at a time," said Hussey.

Mayank stays back in Lucknow

After making headlines earlier this season with his deadly pace balls that wreaked havoc at 150 Kmph, Mayank Yadav has been on the sidelines since LSG’s game against GT, where he picked up an abdominal strain. He hasn’t travelled with the squad and has stayed back in Lucknow, training with Lance Klusener and others. He is expected to return from LSG’s next game onwards. "Mayank’s coming along very nicely. He started bowling a few days ago, and there’s an expectation that every ball he bowls will be at 150 KMPH. So, he has to get his body and mind to that stage where he feels confident about bowling four overs," said Morne Morkel, bowling coach of LSG.

Mayank has played three matches so far and picked up six wickets with an economy of six runs. He has received praise from near and far and is also in contention for the T20 World Cup squad.