On the second Friday of IPL 2021, we will witness the 8th match between Punjab Kings & Chennai Super Kings at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai. CSK faced defeat in their very first match against Delhi Capitals. Whenever MS Dhoni is on the field there is always excitement amongst fans but there was no Dhoni magic against DC & it was a very comfortable win for them.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, won their first match on the last ball & they literally snatched the win from the hands of Rajasthan Royals.
This upcoming fixture will be interesting to watch as there are high expectations from Dhoni & his team. Let’s look at the challenges MS Dhoni will have to overcome to win this game.
1) CSK’s Bowling line up
Wankhede is predominantly a batting pitch but gives a huge advantage to pacers as well. If we look at the bowling line up of CSK, they don’t have a single name which can consistently bowl at a speed of 140 Kmph or even more than that. Dhoni will have to make some changes in his bowling line up as his experienced bowlers like Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali & pacer Dwayne Bravo failed miserably in the last match against DC.
2) Slow Over rate issue
First match for CSK turned out to be terrible not only for the team but also for skipper MS Dhoni. He was charged Rs 12 lakh in their previous match for maintaining a slow over-rate against DC. As per rules, all the teams need to finish their 20 overs in 90 minutes. He will surely have to take care & keep this rule in mind because IPL officials are really strict in maintaining the timelines of the matches.
3) Dhoni’s Batting form
It was not only the fine imposed by IPL officials on Dhoni, it was also his batting form which was disappointing & unexpected from him in the first match. He got out for a duck to DC’s Avesh Khan. The right-handed-batsman came in at 137/5 as CSK lost Suresh Raina for 54. Despite training hard in the CSK’s practice session over the last few weeks, MS Dhoni failed to deliver in the opening match against DC. He could not last more than just 2 balls. He will have to focus more on his batting form because if he is not performing well, his team won’t be inspired to do the same.
4) Dew at 7.30 PM fixture
MS Dhoni has stressed the amount of dew that plays a role in the 7.30 pm fixtures. The bowlers, especially the spinners find it difficult to grip the ball. He said that the teams need to score above 200 runs and manage 15-20 extra runs above par score to deal with the last 30 minutes where balls come easily to the bat.
5) Combination of KL Rahul & Chris Gayle
PBKS definitely has an advantage for opening pairs. KL Rahul & Chris Gayle are one of the best opening pairs available in the current season. Once any of these two batsmen get set, they can take the game away from the opposition. Having a weak bowling line up, Dhoni will definitely face an issue on how to break this pair & slow down the run rate.