SUPER CLASH IN THE MAKING

CHENNAI: The Chennai Super Kings duo of Devon Conway and Ravindra Jadeja, who have ‘left’ the spectators at the MA Chidambaram Stadium spellbound in the Indian Premier League 2023 so far, will aim to be ‘right’ at the top of their game when the MS Dhoni-led team hosts Punjab Kings in an afternoon fixture here on Sunday.

Southpaw Conway has been at his crafty best at Chepauk, amassing 174 runs (47, 50 and 77 not out) in three matches at the venue this season, and is unconquered in the powerplay. The opening batter is capable of not only piling up runs but also switching gears seamlessly, with his past displays at the MAC Stadium ticking most boxes.

While Conway ruled the early overs with his attacking approach in the high-scoring battle against Lucknow Super Giants, he was circumspect at the start against Rajasthan Royals as the inaugural IPL champion struck early. In the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the New Zealand international brilliantly blended aggression with caution.

With Punjab expected to field leggie Rahul Chahar and left-arm spinner Harpreet Brar – both traditionally bring the ball into left-handed batters – Conway will back himself to come out on top in the match-ups. The 31-year-old will also take lessons from his below-par display in CSK’s most recent assignment against RR in Jaipur.

Conway’s teammate Jadeja has been dominating the middle overs at the MAC Stadium with his left-arm spin – the India all-rounder has bagged five wickets from three outings on this ground in IPL 2023. Jadeja will be on a high heading into the PBKS contest, having produced back-to-back scintillating performances at the venue.

After putting Super Kings in the driver’s seat against Royals with impressive figures of 2/21 from his full quota, Jadeja came up with a ‘Man of the Match’ show against Sunrisers, against which he returned a splendid 3/22 off four overs. He could be extremely effective once again since dew will not be a factor in the Chennai-Punjab match.

CSK, PBKS crave for winning feeling

Both CSK and PBKS will be craving to get the winning taste back as teams make their moves in the exciting race to the play-offs. Super Kings (10 points from 8 matches) hit a bump in the road on Thursday, when Royals snapped the former’s winning streak that lasted three matches and did the season double. Punjab (8 points from 8 matches), struggling for consistency, received a pounding from Lucknow in Mohali on Friday and conceded the second-highest score in IPL history.

In the first and only league-stage bout between Chennai and Punjab this season, will normal service be resumed or will the visitor emerge as the ‘King’ of Kings?