KXIP vs CSK: Pitch report and match preview
What's the story
Ashwin's KXIP are looking to get back to winning ways after a narrow defeat against RCB in their second game. Today, they host Chennai Super Kings at the IS Bindra Stadium in Mohali. CSK are looking to make it 3 wins in a row but 11 men and 40 overs of cricket stand in their way. Here is our statistical preview and pitch report.
Milestones
Tahir and Nair chase personal milestones
South Africa's veteran spinner Imran Tahir is just two wickets away from completing 50 wickets in the Indian Premier League. The 39-year-old has claimed 48 wickets in 34 matches so far. Karun Nair is just 52 runs shy of completing 2,000 runs in T20 cricket. Nair just completed 8,000 runs in his professional career in the previous game.
Dhoni factor
MSD is at his best against Punjab
Dhoni has never been shy about hitting big shots against Punjab. MSD has scored 453 runs against them in 17 IPL innings at a strike rate of 153.04 with four fifties. Mohit Sharma has bagged 25 wickets in the death overs in 43 IPL matches since 2015. Mohit also concedes runs at an economy of 9.4 between 16th and 20th over.
Axar's nightmare
MS Dhoni has clobbered Axar Patel in the past
If there is one man Axar Patel hates bowling to, it has to Chennai's captain Dhoni. The left-arm spinner has conceded 63 runs off 37 balls against Dhoni. Axar has also been clobbered for 6 sixes and 2 fours and has never dismissed Dhoni. Since 2013, Shane Watson has scored 44 runs off 30 balls by Ravichandran Ashwin without being dismissed.
Spin factor
CSK's woes against spin bowlers
According to the statistics, Dhoni has struggled against spin managing just 367 runs off 349 balls with a dot percentage of 45.6 since IPL 2015. Ravindra Jadeja is far worse than the CSK captain scoring only 157 off 161 balls in the same period. With Ashwin, Axar and Mujeeb in their ranks, Kings XI have plenty of spin bowling options.
Pulling the strings
All-rounders are doing all the damage
Shane Watson has been Kings XI Punjab's biggest nemesis. In 14 games, the Australian all-rounder has bagged 12 wickets and scored 322 runs at an average of 29.77. However, Axar Patel has dismissed Shane Watson 5 times in 5 IPL matches. Dwayne Bravo has been Kings XI's tormentor-in-chief. The West Indian has bagged 19 wickets in 13 games at an average of 15.
Personal battles
Ambati Rayudu's woes against Kings XI bowlers
Mohit Sharma has dismissed Ambati Rayudu on five occasions conceding just 46 runs from 37 balls. Ashwin has also dismissed Rayudu three times in 34 balls. Kings XI's Karun Nair has had a tough time against CSK's veteran spinner Harbhajan Singh. The off-spinner has dismissed Nair 4 times conceding 20 runs in just 21 balls.
Information
Pitch report
The pitch in Mohali tends to be slightly sluggish which means the onus will be on the bowlers to reap the benefits of the new ball. Since the match will be played post 8 PM dew will play a huge role in this game.