CHENNAI: The sixth-placed Chennai Super Kings will look to keep their playoff hopes alive when they face a beleaguered Lucknow Super Giants, currently languishing at the bottom of the points table, in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday.
Returning to Chepauk could offer the five-time champions an opportunity to regain momentum against LSG who have endured a forgettable season and are already staring at an exit. CSK's campaign has largely revolved around Sanju Samson, whose starts at the top have often dictated the team's fortunes.
While new recruit Samson has emerged as the team's batting anchor and "backbone", skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled for consistency with the bat this season. After a poor start, Ruturaj has regained form in the beginning of this month with crucial unbeaten knocks of 74 and 67, his resurgence helping steer CSK towards the top five, even though he failed in their last outing against Delhi Capitals with Samson remaining unbeaten on a match-winning 52-ball 87.
The hosts would also expect bigger contributions from the middle-order featuring Dewald Brevis, Kartik Sharma, Jamie Overton and Shivam Dube, hoping to accelerate in the death overs. MS Dhoni is yet to play any match due to a persistent calf injury sustained before the season. While he has trained in the nets, he has not featured in the playing XI so far.
The conditions at Chepauk have shifted from their traditional extreme slow, spin-friendly nature to more balanced and batting-friendly, but they still retain some assistance for spinners, hence the duo of Akeal Hosein and Noor Ahmad could be the key for CSK in the middle overs. LSG, on the other hand, are enduring a disastrous season, sitting at the bottom of the table (10th place) with only three wins from 10 matches.
Skipper Rishabh Pant is experiencing a challenging season and has so far struggled to justify his record Rs 27 crore price tag with befitting efforts with the bat. He showed flashes of brilliance, including a 32 off 10 balls against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Thursday, but his overall form has been underwhelming.
However, Mitchell Marsh's 56-ball 111 in the nine-run win against RCB has given fresh impetus to LSG's campaign in a season in which they struggled for consistency throughout, with both their batting and bowling units failing to click collectively and consistently. The win against RCB ended a six-match losing streak for the LSG.
Although struggling at the bottom of the table, this win kept LSG's slim hopes for the playoffs alive. The big-hitting Nicholas Pooran will also have a key role to play in the middle overs. As far as the LSG bowling attack is concerned, it is spearheaded by experienced India seamer Mohammed Shami, with useful support coming from Prince Yadav and spinners Shahbaz Ahmed and Digvesh Singh Rathi. Injuries to Josh Inglis and Mohsin Khan have also pegged LSG back.