Match 18 of the Indian Premier League will give a better picture of the bottom half of the table as two very strong but currently in the bottom half of the table go head-to-head. The Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with the Kings XI Punjab in a game where both the teams will begin feeling very nervous.
Especially CSK, who have always seen and been a part of the top four positions, it will be very different for them to be under tremendous pressure in this season. However, there are no discrepancies in the fact that the KXIP batting has been miles ahead than CSK. Punjab have been the victims of some amazing batting in this edition and have always been on the receiving end of luck.
With Chennai not looking their best this season, Punjab will be looking to use CSK’s weaknesses to their strengths. Will Chennai fight back or will they have to make peace with the fact that this is just not their year?
Match Toss Time: 17:30 Local (19:30 IST)
Match Start Time: 18:00 Local (20:00 IST)
Match Venue: Dubai Cricket International Stadium
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be cricket supportive and it will not be a key factor in the game. It will be pleasant around with barely any chance of rain. The temperature is anticipated to be around 30-32 degree interval. Humidity can be challenging though. The most it can achieve is 60-65%, with it being at the peak in the later stages of the game.
Pitch
Dubai’s pitch has been the slowest when compared to the Sharjah and Abu Dhabi pitches. As we have already witnessed, the story is expected to be the same. Batting first and achieving a total of 170 or above will be handy, while the bowling department will have to strike early too. The pitch may throw up surprises as odd bounce has been an issue a lot of batsmen have noticed. Thus, they will have to be cautious.
Team News
CSK were hoping that the return of Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo would suddenly put them in the driver seat but things have gone in the opposite way. Bravo still contributed handsomely with the ball but Ambati Rayudu did not do more than reminding of the mistakes Vijay committed.
KXIP have a well-settled XI but the middle-order has left the team disappointed with Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell both failing to relieve the team from any kind of stress. Nicholas Pooran has shown promising signs but has struggled with his shot selection.
Probable Playing XI
Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf Du Plessis, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (C and WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar.
Kings XI Punjab: KL Rahul (C and WK), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Jimmy Neesham, Mohammad Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Bishnoi, Sarfaraz Khan/Krishnappa Gowtham.
CSK VS KXIP Fantasy Team
KL Rahul (WK), Mayank Agarwal, Ambati Rayudu, Faf Du Plessis, Nicholas Pooran, Ravi Bishnoi, Glenn Maxwell, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Sam Curran, Mohammad Shami
Captain Picks: Mayank Agarwal (KXIP), KL Rahul(KXIP)
Vice-captain Picks: Faf du Plessis(CSK), Sam Curran(CSK)
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