Punjab Kings find themselves at a crossroads a bit in the ongoing season of the IPL, with a stop-start schedule having, won two of their last five games and a match getting washed out after a week's break didn't help. Ahead of a three-match Dharamsala leg, the Punjab Kings will be keen to chip in and get those two points in Chennai on Wednesday and push for a spot in the playoffs while sending shivers down the Delhi Capitals' spine.
It has been a good campaign for the Kings but their overseas contingent is yet to click. Apart from Marco Jansen, none of Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, or Josh Inglis has really looked the part they still have an opportunity to change the game with five matches remaining for the Punjab franchise and an opportunity to seal the top four spot, even if they win three out of their next five.
On the other hand are the Chennai Super Kings, for whom, apart from maybe Noor Ahmad, nothing has gone right. The approach, the personnel, the auction and the strategies all have come under heavy scrutiny for the five-time champions, with the team not pulling its weight. However, having been pushed to a corner with a slight mathematical chance of qualification alive, the CSK wouldn't want to go down without a fight and Punjab has been a side in the recent years to have the wood over them in their own backyard, hence they might just be gunning for revenge just a bit more.
My Dream11 team for IPL 2025 Match 49, CSK vs PBKS
Ayush Mhatre, Shreyas Iyer (c), Priyansh Arya, Dewald Brevis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Prabhsimran Singh, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad, Yuzvendra Chahal (vc), Marco Jansen
Probable Playing XIIs
Chennai Super Kings: Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Sam Curran/Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana/Nathan Ellis, Anshul Kamboj
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Josh Inglis (w), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Glenn Maxwell, Azmatullah Omarzai/Xavier Bartlett, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar