IPL 2024: Chennai Super Kings' strongest predicted playing XI against Punjab Kings

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are going to face Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 49th match of IPl 2024. The match will take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on the 1st of May 2024. CSK and PBKS are going to play against each other for the first time in IPL 2024. 

Both the teams have had ups and downs in this season of IPL. Chennai Super Kings are currently in the third position on the points table. In their last match, they beat SRH by 78 runs. They have won five matches and lost 4 out of the 9 matches that they have played. However, Punjab Kings are in the eighth position with three wins out of the nine matches that they have played so far in this tournament. CSK have a net run rate of +0.810 and PBKS have -0.187. CSK would be looking to beat PBKS in this match considering their performance against SRH previously. 

It would be interesting to see how CSK's star players will perform against PBKS. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in phenomenal form this IPL season. He has been maintaining his strike rate at around 170+. Against SRH, he scored 98 runs off just 54 balls and Daryl Mitchell scored 52 runs off 32 balls. Coming to their bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana is in incredible form as well. Surprisingly, Tushar Deshpande performed really well against SRH where he got 4 wickets in his name by dismissing SRH's in-form batters like Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma. 

Here is the strongest predicted playing XI against PBKS in IPL 2024: 

Openers: Ajinkya Rahane and Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)

CSK are probably going to stick with Ajinkya Rahane and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of the order. Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahane switched batting positions during CSK's match versus MI. Even if the trial hasn't yielded the desired results, CSK will probably stick with Rahane as the opener. Early in the innings, the seasoned hitter can dominate the bowlers and influence with the bat.

In the last match, CSK's decision to open with Gaikwad worked well against SRH as he was unstoppable in his entire innings. He scored 98 runs off just 54 balls and no SRH bowler could stop him until he got out on 98 runs. Seeing his performance this season, CSK's decision to open with him might prove it right for the team's performance. 

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Middle Order: Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi (impact player) and MS Dhoni (WK)

Daryl Mitchell's performance in CSK's last match against SRH is applaudable as he scored a half-century in 32 balls. Despite losing Ajinkya Rahane at an early stage, Gaikwad (98) and Mitchell's (52) set the stage for CSK and reached till 212 runs. 

In the lower middle order, CSK have several strong choices in MS Dhoni and Sameer Rizvi. Their ages are in stark contrast to one another. Nonetheless, both batters aim to hit boundaries at will. MS Dhoni has been an excellent batter, but Rizvi has not been able to match his performance in the UP T20 league. Without being removed, he has amassed 87 runs with a strike rate of more than 255. The 42-year-old crushed an undefeated 28*(9) against LSG in the previous game, which featured two sixes and three fours.

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All-rounders: Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali

Some of the world's greatest all-rounders are at CSK. Two of the greatest all-around players in the modern era are Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja. Moeen did not have many opportunities in CSK's first five games. In the match against LSG, the southpaw batted skillfully and hit three sixes in an over against Ravi Bishnoi. CSK's support for him has to be sufficient. Surprisingly, Ravindra Jadeja was elevated above LSG in the hierarchy. He scored fifty runs while batting at number four.

CSK mostly try to employ Jadeja as a middle-order batter up the order in the event of a collapse. Shivam Dube will bat at number five in these situations. Dube did not bat well in the most recent game. Aside from that, he has been among the world's finest batters. The Southpaw is very effective against both pacers and spinners. He can be useful with the ball if needed. Nishant Sidhu, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, and Mitchell Santner are just a few of the talented players that CSK have on their roster who can contribute as All-Rounders.

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Bowlers: Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman and Matheesha Pathirana

The CSK bowling lineup is respectable. Deepak Chahar will handle the new ball in the powerplay overs. The ball can be swung away from right-handers by him. He can provide an over at the death if necessary. Deepak can move runs down the order as well. Tushar Deshpande will probably be his partner with the new ball. At a speed of more than 140 kmph, the developing pacer may swing the ball away from the right-handers. With his wide yorkers, Tushar can even bowl an over at the latter end. Deshpande's 4-wicket haul in the last match against SRH where he dismissed their top batters Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma helped collapse the SRH team. 

Bowlers for CSK who bowl in the middle and death overs include Mustafizur Rahman and Matheesha Pathirana. Pathirana is an all-around middle overs and death overs bowler, although Mustfizur bowls one over each during the powerplay and the death overs. The world's finest batsmen can be troubled by the unconventional pacer with his yorker at a great pace. The quantity of wides he bowls is the only thing that worries me about his style. Moeen and Jadeja are going to bowl in the middle overs. 

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CSK's playing XI against PBKS:

Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, MS Dhoni (WK), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman and Matheesha Pathirana. 

Impact substitute: Sameer Rizvi