CHENNAI: There was a time when taking on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium was a daunting task for the visiting IPL teams. Over the past year, the fortress has slowly begun to lose its fangs.The five-time champions, who managed just one win in six outings at Chepauk last season, hope to get off the blocks and banish those demons when they face a confident Punjab Kings in their first home fixture here on Friday. Their last memory at this venue is a four-wicket defeat to the same opponent. After finishing with the wooden spoon last year, CSK — featuring a crop of youngsters in their ranks — will look to restore some of the old Chepauk magic. Earlier this week, CSK, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, were steamrolled by Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati by eight wickets in their season opener.
CSK’s top-order woesWith MS Dhoni’s availability still uncertain, all eyes will now be on World Cup hero Sanju Samson. In the wicketkeeper-batter, CSK have a proven performer who can steady the ship. But in the opener against RR, Samson and Ruturaj, opening together, didn’t get going — both managing just six runs.It wasn’t just the two who faltered. A batting line-up built around six-hitters crumbled against Rajasthan, with Ayush Mhatre, Matthew Short, Kartik Sharma and Shivam Dube all failing to fire. With little experience to call upon lower down, the CSK batting line-up looked like a fish out of water. Lower-order allrounder Jamie Overton was the lone bright spot as CSK limped to 127.However, Ruturaj came out strongly in favour of youngsters. “It’s a new, young group; they will learn slowly. The more games they get, they’ll get better,” said Ruturaj.Iyer likely to playMeanwhile, Punjab Kings have an air of positive energy around them after starting the campaign with a three-wicket win against Gujarat Titans. But there was a bit of a worry around skipper Shreyas Iyer’s fitness, after he was hit in the wrist. However, assistant coach Brad Haddin said that Iyer is fit to play. “No break. So that’s a good thing. Now, it’s just about getting the swelling down and getting the movement back in the hand,” Haddin said.
| 7 – Punjab Kings have won seven out of the last eight fixtures contested vs CSK. Their tally includes five in succession between Oct 7, 2021 and May 1, 2024. CSK’s only win during this period was by 28 runs at Dharamshala on May 5, 2024.
—Stats: Rajesh Kumar |
