IPL 2019: Match 55, Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings: Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI

For Chennai Super Kings, It is a stroll in the park to appear every season in the IPL and reach the playoffs. Their road thus far to the playoffs hasn’t looked very complicated apart from a few close games. They have a fixed strategy to approach games and it has worked more often than not for the Men in Yellow.

Skipper MS Dhoni going through a purple patch with the bat is a huge positive for the team. Behind the stumps, he is brilliant as always but his form with the bat has caught a lot of attention off-late. Suresh Raina registered a much-needed fifty in the previous match to lift his confidence up a little bit.

They don’t have much to play for in this fixture apart from confirming their status as the table toppers. If they win this game, they will finish on top for sure but Kings XI Punjab, despite their recent poor run, has been brilliant on home turf and will not make things easy for the 3-time champions.

Openers – Faf du Plessis, Shane Watson

The South African captain Faf du Plessis will be staying with the side for the whole season, which should be a huge boost for the Chennai side. He delivered some decent performances this time, but thus far hasn’t put up a good opening stand with his Australian partner. He will be eyeing for a big score to get into the playoffs on a high.

One of the reasons why MS Dhoni keeps trusting Shane Watson is because of the incredible match-winning ability he possesses. Once the big man gets going, he wins the game all by himself and the Sunrisers fans will know it pretty well. He would relish the conditions in Mohali where the ball travels quick off the deck and will be hoping to put up a show.

Middle Order – Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Kedar Jadhav

Suresh Raina has been the biggest player in their 10 seasons of existence and it is getting difficult for the fans to see him underperform. Yet, he once again registered over 300 runs in the season for the 12th time in a row, a feat emulated by no other cricketer. Ambati Rayudu’s struggle goes parallelly with his heartbreaks this season, but he might not keep his place for long if he doesn’t chip in with a big score soon.

MS Dhoni has been in top form this season and the world has witnessed the greatest finisher at his prime. Fans would love to see him continue the same momentum to the World Cup. Kedar Jadhav has remained pretty silent as he didn’t receive as many chances as he would’ve liked. Yet, his presence in the side is always invaluable.

All-rounders – Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo

Ravindra Jadeja‘s inclusion in the World Cup squad didn’t go down well with a lot of fans, who reckoned they should’ve tried for an extra seamer. Yet, Jadeja adds great value to any side he plays for and this season, he chipped in with cameos with the bat and impressive figures with the ball.

Dwayne Bravo might not be in his prime with the ball, but he still is the highest wicket-taker in T20 history and one cannot belittle the danger he brings. His death over exploits have not been up to his old standards, but MSD has complete trust on the West Indian and will continue with him for the tournament’s remainder.

Bowlers – Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

Harbhajan Singh has had a pretty good tournament thus far, bowling some very economical spells. It is a huge positive for the skipper and management to see his three primetime bowlers picking wickets at regular intervals. He picked up 10 wickets in 7 games and has a sensational economy rate of 6.14.

Imran Tahir is surely a contender for the purple cap with Kagiso Rabada leaving to South Africa on Friday. The South African spinner has 21 wickets in his kitty so far and has picked some pretty big wickets this season. Deepak Chahar will mostly bowl three overs or four in the first half of the innings as he relishes the new and fresh ball.

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