IPL 2021, CSK vs PBKS: KL Rahul elects to field
Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings are locking horns in the 53rd match of IPL 2021. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is hosting the afternoon encounter of Thursday's double-header. CSK aim to finish as the top-ranked side, while Punjab will play their last game this season. The news from the center is that KL Rahul has won the toss and elected to field first.
Here are the two teams
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood Punjab Kings (Playing XI): KL Rahul (captain and wicket-keeper), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Head-to-head: CSK 15-9 PBKS
Chennai have had the wood over Punjab as far as the IPL head-to-head record is concerned. In 24 meetings, CSK have won 15 matches with a win percentage of 62.5. Meanwhile, PBKS have managed to win nine matches with a win percentage of 37.5. Since IPL 2019, CSK have won four of the five matches against PBKS.
Key details about the match
The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is hosting the match. Notably, the wicket turned out to be slow in the CSK-DC match. The ball was not coming nicely on to the bat. Besides, the batters could have a hard time this time too. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on the Hotstar app (paid subscription).
Recap: What happened in the last encounter?
CSK thrashed PBKS in the last encounter between the two sides. Punjab could manage only 106/8 after CSK elected to field first. Deepak Chahar emerged as the standout bowler for CSK, having taken four wickets. The Yellow Army easily chased the target, with Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali making it one-sided. Faf remained unbeaten as CSK won by six wickets.
