CSK, LSG eye reversal of fortunes

What was common between Chennai Super Kings’ loss to Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants’ loss against Gujarat Titans? Batting failure at the top of the order. Both sides were on the receiving end of some magic from the veterans, Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami. 

If a 40-year-old MS Dhoni stood tall for the Super Kings, with a 38-ball 50, it was 22-year-old Ayush Badoni, who dug the Super Giants out of misery on Monday with a 41-ball 54. Both KL Rahul and Dhoni would be aware of their tough start at the Wankhede, where one can say toss plays an important role. 

The good news for the four-time champions, they have already welcomed English all-rounder Moeen Ali, who missed the first game due to delayed Visa. However, for the Super Giants, there is still a question mark over the availability of their key all-rounder, Jason Holder. Mohsin Khan, who couldn’t quite impress in the first clash might be dropped to accommodate Ankit Rajpoot. 

On the positive front for both sides, their bowling made it tough for their opposition to chase the paltry total down. While Dhoni’s side still relied on their veteran Dwayne Bravo to pick apart the opposition, it was Dushmantha Chameera, who delivered the telling blow early on in the powerplay. 

So, it remains to be seen how the two sides approach the second encounter, at the Brabourne Stadium, which might play slightly different to the ones at Wankhede. 

Who fills the powerplay shoes for CSK?

It was evidently visible in the clash against KKR that the Super Kings struggled to make early inroads. Against Lucknow, who have a staggering top-order, CSK might want to strike up front before the game turns too late. Most of the damage last season in the powerplay was because of Deepak Chahar, who swung the ball in most of the conditions, be it India or in the Middle East.Now that CSK don’t have him at their disposal, they will have to work their way out somewhere else. Tushar Deshpande and Adam Milne were impressive but they lacked the wickets. With Moeen returning, CSK are set to make two changes, could that see an improvement on the powerplay front?

Most likely, the franchise would welcome the English all-rounder in Mitchell Santner’s place, which means that Shivam Dube is likely to miss the clash against LSG. Now, who partners Milne and Deshpande is a question, will the franchise trust Mukesh Choudhary, the left-arm pacer in the playing XI or pick Simarjeet Singh? Or would they bring Rajvardhan Hangargekar, to trouble the Lucknow batters? 

Either way, it is a big question that could potentially answer whether CSK could retain their title. And they need to figure out their powerplay attack before its too late. 

Can we witness KL Rahul 2.0 against CSK?

KL Rahul’s form against Chennai Super Kings is out there. Everyone knows that he loves to take on the Super Kings' bowlers, last season's unbeaten 98 off 42 balls being the latest example. His aggressive gear is well-known, something which has come to the fore in the domestic arena for Karnataka. 

But the fact that he hasn’t played at the same aggression in the IPL begs the question, can we see a different version of the LSG captain? Against the Super Kings, Rahul has scored 365 runs, in eight appearances since 2018, at a strike-rate of 149.6, averaging 52.14. In fact, it is an opposition against whom Rahul has been at his free-flowing best.

The collective failure of the top-order like in the first game could very well prevent his fluency. Remember last year, Rahul came out saying that he had to play in a controlled manner due to the weak middle-order, it might very well be the same version of Rahul, who could make way against CSK. It remains to be seen how he would react?

The form of Avesh and Bishnoi for LSG

It has been only one game for the Lucknow Super Giants but the Avesh Khan that was on display in that fixture against Gujarat Titans, was a sign of worry. At the death, he was wayward, he bowled several deliveries that was waiting to be dispatched to the boundary. Yes, there is that inexperience tag around Avesh and the other bowlers, with Dushmantha Chameera being the only other international bowler. 

Against CSK, there are slim chances that Holder might make it to the playing XI, can we see an improved version of Avesh? The 25-year-old’s form against the four-time winning franchise is a worry, with an average of 50.8, picking up just four wickets. On the other hand, there is Ravi Bishnoi.

Since his debut for Punjab Kings in the IPL, Bishnoi has grown in stature, so much so that he has already become a key prospect to play for India in the T20 World Cup. The 21-year-old is still one of the best in the business but David Miller and Rahul Tewatia punished him for the wrong line and length. Against a quality batting line-up such as CSK's, can Bishnoi bowl more leg-spins and cause trouble? 

Probable XIs

Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Dwayne Bravo, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande 

Lucknow Super Giants: KL Rahul (c, wk), Quinton de Kock, Evin Lewis, Manish Pandey, Deepak Hooda, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Ankit Rajpoot, Dushmanta Chameera, Avesh Khan, Ravi Bishnoi