They were given a rude awakening by the Rajasthan Royals in what was the clash of top two unbeaten sides.
– Virat Kohli hails timely win as RC Bangalore dominate Rajasthan
– Delhi Daredevils out to end losing streak against Mumbai
– Raina and Nehra lead Chennai Super Kings to victory
But Chennai Super Kings got back on track in their next clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore and will play with added confidence as they lock horns with Kings XI Punjab today.
Chennai will be further boosted by some of the individual performances in their last clash against Bangalore.
In that match, Suresh Raina made his biggest contribution this IPL, smashing 62 off 32 balls to help the Super Kings put up a competitive total of 181.
Then while defending the target, left-arm seamer Ashish Nehra proved his mettle as he tore through the Royal Challengers top order, finishing with outstanding figures of four for 10 from his four overs.
It’s training time again at our favorite ground #whistlepodu pic.twitter.com/m7EtF769iu
— russell (@russcsk) April 24, 2015
The main concern for Chennai captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be his own batting form.
Dhoni hasn’t really set the stage alight this season and his power hitting seems to be losing a bit of its sting.
He will need to be on top his game against a Punjab side that pulled off stunning result against Rajasthan Royals.
Kings XI ended the unbeaten run of the Royals by first enforcing a tie, chasing 191, and then winning the Super Over in style.
Punjab will take a lot of heart from the performance of Shaun Marsh, who scored a fine 40-ball 65, and the return to form of lower order batter David Miller, who smashed 54 from 30.
Sheron! It’s Match Day! Support your Lions as they take on @ChennaiIPL in Chepauk tonight. #KXIP #IPL #CSKvKXIP pic.twitter.com/uO39nSPLS3
— Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) April 25, 2015
And the biggest plus has to be the efforts of left-arm pace ace Mitchell Johnson, who bowled an amazing Super Over to thwart Rajasthan.
Kings XI’s George Bailey knows that his team needs to be at its best if they want to get the better of Chennai in their home turf.
“We certainly do have the team to beat them but it will be hard,” Bailey said on the eve of the match.
“Chennai are a strong side and they have been playing good cricket in this tournament.
“We haven’t played at this venue for the last two years so it will take some time getting used to. But if we play well, we do have the right team to win.”
