CSK vs KXIP Playing 11 IPL: MS Dhoni’s men look to strike perfect balance and reclaim top spot

Chennai Super Kings were knocked off the perch in Indian Premier League standings as they suffered a defeat against Rohit Sharma’s Mumbai Indians in Match No. 15 of season 12 on Wednesday. Dhoni admitted missing the likes of Lungi Ngidi and David Willey as both of whom were ruled out of the tournament. So will the former India skipper come up with the perfect team balance to counter Ravichandran Ashwin’s Kings XI Punjab?

It will also be a homecoming for local boy Ashwin who was a CSK player from 2008 to 2015. Surrounded with the controversial ‘Mankading’ of Jos Buttler and then a rare captaincy judgemental error in terms of field placements, the Tamil Nadu lad has already had an eventful season. This will be his first game against the Super Kings in Chennai since the one last year was played in Pune.

Both CSK and KXIP will bring about changes in their playing XI, with Dhoni explicitly admitting the same while Ashwin has Gayle fit and available again. Here’s a look at some of the players who will be under focus as Chennai Super Kings host Kings XI Punjab:

Sam Curran: Having bagged a hat-trick against Delhi Capitals in the previous fixture, the England international has all but cemented his spot in the team for this match. At a surface where spinners are bound to do well, the left-arm pacer’s variations are going to be key in containing the likes of Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav.

Ravichandran Ashwin: It will be the first time that Ashwin will be playing in a different jersey at Chepauk in the IPL. The crowd will be happy to see one of the city’s favourite cricketing sons back, although the loyalties will remain with the local side to carve out a victory.

Imran Tahir: The veteran South African has been a mainstay in the CSK line-up and on a surface which predominantly will aid spin bowling, Tahir will be one of Dhoni’s key weapons to get back to winning ways. In all the four matches so far, the 39-year-old has been among wickets.

Ambati Rayudu: It’s been a sorry state of affairs for Rayudu since the start of the India – Australia series. Desperate for runs, the 33-year-old needs to rediscover his form, not just to keep hold of his spot in the CSK playing XI but also not let the India selectors start looking for his alternatives for the forthcoming ICC World Cup.

Chennai Super Kings Probable 11: Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c, wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir

Kings XI Punjab Probable 11: KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran, R Ashwin (c), M Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman