Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 22nd match of IPL 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur. Both teams have lost their last match respectively and will look to get back to winning ways.
Chennai Super Kings is currently placed at number nine in the points table after playing four games. The five-time champions have lost three and won a solitary match so far in the tournament. CSK registered their only win against MI in their season opener.
Meanwhile, Punjab Kings also lost their first home game against RR, played at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur. The Shreyas Iyer-led side had a rollicking start to the season with back-to-back wins against GT and LSG, respectively.
This article provides the details of the CSK playing 11 for their game against the Punjab Kings scheduled to take place on April 8.
CSK Playing 11 vs Punjab Kings- IPL 2025, Match 22:
Openers: Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra
Devon Conway and his countryman Rachin Ravindra will open the innings for Chennai Super Kings. Conway, who was drafted into the playing 11 for the last match against the Delhi Capitals, failed to make a significant impact and was dismissed after scoring just 13 runs.
Rachin, on the other hand, would like to get back to the form that he was in against the Mumbai Indians in the first match and would look to get a big score against the Punjab Kings
A lot will depend on how the Chennai Super Kings openers play in the first six overs of the match, considering they have failed to make full use of the fielding restrictions in the tournament so far.
Middle-order batsmen and all-rounders: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk)
The opening duo of Ravindra and Conway will be followed by captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube, both of whom have failed to live up to expectations in the last few matches
One of the areas of concern for CSK before the game against Punjab Kings would be the lack of contribution from their middle order comprising Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, and MS Dhoni. The trio has failed to get the tempo of the innings right, especially while chasing
Bowlers: Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary
CSK would hope their bowlers and fielders put up a better show against Punjab as they did against MI in their season opener by restricting them below the score of 160 on a tricky wicket at Chepauk.
The onus will be on the spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Noor Ahmed, to bowl miserly against Punjab and restrict them to a below-par total who will be supported by the fast bowlers Khaleel Ahmed and Mukesh Choudhary
Khaleel has been the standout bowler for CSK along with Noor Ahmad, and the duo has picked up crucial wickets for the team during the powerplay and in the middle overs.
Another thing to watch out for during the PBKS vs CSK game would be the number of overs Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja bowl, as the duo was unable to complete their full quota of four overs in the last match against DC
