IPL 5 – Kings XI Punjab vs Chennai Super Kings – Match Preview
Kings XI http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Himachal-Pradesh-c791 Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala.
This is an extremely crucial encounter for both the teams and the losing side will be effectively out of contention from the the play-off stage of the tournament. Considering it is a do-or-die match for the two, both will come out all guns blazing.
Chennai are the defending champions of the current edition of the league as they won the previous two tournaments and are surely one of the best teams of the event. Although, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 and company have struggled to find momentum in the current season, they have started to fire with the bat in the recent matches, which is a great sign for the franchise as the league is coming down to the deciders.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/RA-Jadeja-c2238 also possesses the ability to change the course of a match but he has been off-colour this season.
Chennai is currently placed at number four on the points table with 17 points after 15 matches and a win today will probably secure its place in the last four of the event.
One of the major positives for Chennai in its last match against Kolkata Knight Riders was the return to form of the skipper, as Dhoni struck some meaty blows to help his team clinch a thrilling encounter.
While talking about his team’s chances of making it to the next round, Dhoni expressed that he does not believe in looking too much ahead and is just planning about the last match of the league stage.
"We will take one game at a time and won't think for the playoffs now. We have to win our next match," said Dhoni.
Punjab, on the other hand, was off to a poor start in the tournament but the franchise has made a nice comeback in the event due to some inspirational performances by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DJ-Hussey-c1380. Punjab has one more match after this but it must beat Chennai in order to keep its hopes alive in the tournament.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SE-Marsh-c2470 has been a prolific run-scorer in IPL over the years but he has so far failed to convert his starts into big knocks this season, which is the major reason behind the fact that his team has struggled to post massive totals on the board regularly.
The regular captain and coach of Punjab, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Adam-Gilchrist-c918, faced a hamstring injury earlier in the tournament and since then, Hussey has led the team. Gilchrist is fit now but chances are high that he will still not play as he would not want to change the combination of the playing XI.
The stand-in skipper, Hussey is still positive about his team’s chances, even after a loss against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Delhi-c780 on Monday. He expressed, "Delhi are a very talented team. But we have shown the fans that we fight till the end and can still chase the finals."
With everything to lose for both the teams, one can expect a thriller. Chennai will definitely start favorites, but the Punjab franchise cannot be ruled out easily either.
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