Chennai Super Kings are back in form with their two consecutive wins and would be looking to explode against down and out Pune Warriors India. CSK has a very strong batting middle-order in Suresh Raina, S Badrinath and MS Dhoni whereas PWI looks all rusty at the moment. Dirk Nannes and Chris Morris have played a major role in the recent victories for CSK whereas PWI’s Ashok Dinda and Bhuvneshwar Kumar had gone for plenty in this edition of Indian Premier League.
Here we bring to you the players who can make impact in this interesting contest between CSK and PWI.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
MS Dhoni: Dhoni has been in spectacular form this season and would be looking to continue his good run. His form with the bat helped his side win the thriller against Royal Challengers Bangalore. His ability to stay calm under pressure situations not just helps him but team.
Suresh Raina: Raina played aggressively in last game and was looking in a brilliant touch. He has always been a cog in the wheel for CSK and to lift this trophy for the third time for CSK, he needs to fire on a regular basis.
Chris Morris: Morris has played two matches and is looking in very good rhythm as he gets those early breakthroughs for his side. His economical bowling helps Dirk Nannes to maintain that pressure from other end.
Ravindra Jadeja: Ravindra Jadeja is in form of his life. The way he turned around the things in the last over by starting off with the six is a very good sign for CSK. His bowling has been off-colour till now but he can run-through any batsmen on his day.
Dirk Nannes: He is the most important bowler in CSK’s team and hitting him is not an easy task. His ability to use the slower ones with Yorkers stands him apart from any other bowler of his team.
Pune Warriors India (PWI)
Robin Uthappa: Uthappa is going through a rough phase in the very beginning of the tournament. His habit of chasing the ball outside the off-stump has always landed him in trouble. He needs to be bit patient as he was in first two-three matches and then set-up the innings just like a proper batsman and not like a pinch-hitter.
Abhishek Nayar: He was a very important member of Mumbai Indians squad till the last season and PWI has not utilized his services till now. Nayar has been in brilliant form in Ranji Trophy this season and his all-round skills can make a huge difference in the outcome of the game.
Steve Smith: He has been waiting for very long time and he needs to be back in the squad. Player of his class can make a huge difference when he will bat with Ross Taylor in the middle-order.
Mitchell Marsh: He looks to be only in-form player for PWI as he has not only bowled well but batted brilliantly in the last match against Mumbai Indians and scored 38 off 26 balls. PWI has a lot of potential to do well but they are not looking good at the moment.
Aaron Finch: Finch bowled quite well in the last match and got the big wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. But his captain Angelo Mathews made some terrible decision by not allowing him to bowl remaining two against two new batsmen. Finch didn’t contribute with the bat and was dismissed for zero.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network