For Punjab, facing CSK now could be a blessing in disguise. The Super Kings are struggling for momentum, having lost three of their last four encounters. However, PBKS will need to overcome their own Mullanpur curse—they’ve lost their last five games at this venue.

One of the key tactical errors PBKS made in their last game was not leveraging their spinners on a slow pitch. Expect a change in that approach, with Harpreet Brar likely to come in for Suryansh Shedge to bolster the spin department.

CSK’s Dilemma: To Bench or Not to Bench Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings find themselves in a tricky spot. While MS Dhoni hasn’t been in vintage form, his legacy and game-changing abilities still earn him a place in the XI. With no clear alternative behind the stumps, CSK are expected to stick with their talismanic veteran.

Predicted Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings (CSK):
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary/Anshul Kamboj, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player: Matheesha Pathirana

Punjab Kings (PBKS):
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson
Impact Player: Yuzvendra Chahal

Full Squads:

Punjab Kings Squad:
Shreyas Iyer (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kuldeep Sen, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash

Chennai Super Kings Squad:
Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Vijay Shankar, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shreyas Gopal, Sam Curran, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi