IPL-17: PBKS vs CSK | Chennai Super Kings eye payback in second successive clash against Punjab Kings

IPL-17: PBKS vs CSK | Chennai Super Kings eye payback in second successive clash against Punjab Kings

Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will look to set their house in order and get back to winning ways when they face an upbeat yet unpredictable Punjab Kings for the second time in a row in the IPL in Dharamsala on May 5. Just three days back, PBKS outclassed CSK by seven wickets at Chepauk, considered their fortress. The two losses in the last three games at home have put Chennai in a spot. They are placed fifth on the table with 10 points and the five-time champions will hope the change of venue would bring a change in fortune as well with just four games to go to seal their place in the knockout stage. CSK’s failure to push the pace in the middle overs against the spin duo of Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar saw them post a below-par score of 162-7. Their batting has become too dependent on skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and six-hitting machine Shivam Dube and the moment one of them fails, it puts the pressure on others who have not been consistent in bailing out the team. While Gaikwad hit his fifth 50-plus score of the season to hold it together, veteran batter Ajinkya Rahane once again failed to capitalise on the starts, while Ravindra Jadeja and Sameer Rizvi struggled against spin. CSK also has been hampered by the health and fitness concerns of their pacers, including Deepak Chahar, who limped off holding his hamstring after bowling just two balls and is likely to miss the reverse clash against PBKS. The absence of their frontline bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana (niggle) and Tushar Deshpande (flu), also didn’t help matters the other day. Add to that the dew factor which took the spinners out of the equation and PBKS romped home comfortably. While Richard Gleeson made his IPL debut in the last match, CSK might bring back Mukesh Choudhary. Punjab Kings, on the other hand, have seen a resurgence as they registered back-to-back wins to re-ignite their playoffs hopes. En route to their win over CSK, Punjab became the second team after Mumbai Indians to beat the defending champions five times in a row and they will fancy their chances. Punjab remains an unpredictable side as although it notched up wins over Gujarat in Ahmedabad, Chennai at Chepauk and also chased down a T20 record score against KKR, it has struggled at home against RR, SRH and Gujarat. With back-to-back wins, PBKS climbed to seventh spot with 8 points and will need to carry the momentum to salvage their slim hopes. Jonny Bairstow, who made a hundred against KKR, will be their go-to man, while Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh and Prabhsimran Singh too have to raise their hands. PBKS’ bowling department has experienced names such as Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran and they need to be consistent. Rabada was brilliant the other day but others have gone for runs. If PBKS has to repeat their performance against CSK then the spinners — Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar — will have to deliver once again. Interestingly, the first IPL match in Dharmasala stadium was a clash between Chennai and Punjab in 2010. The venue offers a lot of runs and dew remains a factor, making it an enticing contest. Teams Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Aravelly Avanish, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Choudhary, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana, Simarjeet Singh, Prashant Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana and Sameer Rizvi. Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Matthew Short, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, Harshal Patel, Chris Woakes, Ashutosh Sharma, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Prince Choudhary, Rilee Rossouw. Match starts: 3.30 PM.

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'In my cricket life, MS Dhoni plays my father's role': Matheesha Pathirana reserves highest praise for CSK legend

‘In my cricket life, MS Dhoni plays my father’s role’: Matheesha Pathirana reserves highest praise for CSK legend

MS Dhoni’s cricketing prowess is world-renowned, but perhaps equally remarkable is his knack for nurturing young talent. Since becoming the Indian captain for the first time in 2007, Dhoni has played a pivotal role in cultivating a rich pool of Indian cricketers, propelling the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma to batting stardom, among numerous others. This talent cultivation extends seamlessly to the IPL; under Dhoni’s astute leadership, Chennai Super Kings have clinched a record 5 titles, witnessing the transformation of budding talents like Suresh Raina and Ravindra Jadeja into world-class cricketers. Chennai Super Kings’ Matheesha Pathirana, left, celebrates a dismissal with MS Dhoni in IPL 2024(AP) But it’s not just the Indian cricketers who benefited from Dhoni’s rich presence at the CSK dressing room. Sri Lanka’s Matheesha Pathirana is among the first names in his national team’s playing XI in limited-overs formats, but MS Dhoni was among the first ones to spot him. It was at CSK where Pathirana first announced his arrival to the cricketing fraternity in 2022, eventually making his national debut the same year. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! In an interaction with CSK on their official YouTube account, Pathirana showed his immense gratitude to Dhoni for propelling his career. Labelling him a father figure in his cricketing life, Pathirana said Dhoni has always supported him. “After my father, in my cricket life, he (Dhoni) plays my father’s role. He takes care of me, and he gives me advice on what I have to do, similar to my father’s thing when I’m at my home. I think that’s enough,” said Pathirana. “He doesn’t tell me a lot of things when I’m on the field and off the field, but he tells just small things that make a lot of difference and gives me a lot of confidence. He knows how to maintain the players. Off the field, we don’t talk much, but if I have to ask something from him, definitely I’d go to him and ask him,” Pathirana said further. Pathirana’s impact at CSK Pathirana was crucial to CSK’s success in the previous edition of the IPL, where he picked 19 wickets in 12 matches and helped the side win a record-equalling fifth title. This year, too, Pathirana has been brilliant for the side so far; in six matches, the Sri Lankan has taken 13 wickets and is in the top ten in the Purple Cap list.

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'In my cricket life, MS Dhoni is playing my father's role' | Cricket News

‘In my cricket life, MS Dhoni is playing my father’s role’ | Cricket News

Ever since asking Joginder Sharma to bowl the final over of the 2007 T20 World Cup against Pakistan, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and India captain MS Dhoni has been known to putting his trust into young players and turning them into champion performers, and Sri Lankan pacer Matheesha Pathirana is experiencing something similar at CSK in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.IPL 2024: Results | Points TableHaving a slingy action similar to Sri Lankan fast-bowling legend Lasith Malinga, Pathirana is currently fifth on the list of top wicket-takers in this IPL season, with 13 wickets in six matches.He finished among the top 10 bowlers in the 2023 season as well.He credits that success to the confidence shown in him by Dhoni, who handed over CSK captaincy duties to Ruturaj Gaikwad ahead of IPL 2024. WATCH VIDEO “After my father, in my cricket life, mostly he (Dhoni) is playing my father’s role because he is always taking care of me, giving me advice, what I have to do, similar to my father when I am at home,” said Pathirana on the latest episode of ‘Lions Upclose’.Pathirana further revealed that Dhoni doesn’t say much and always stresses on the need to enjoying the game and taking care of fitness. “He’s not telling a lot of things when I am on the field and off the field. He tells just small tings, but it makes a lot of difference. So those little things, I take a lot of confidence (from),” said the 21-year-old Sri Lankan pacer. “In my cricket life, Dhoni’s like my father”| Lions up close Ft. Matheesha Pathirana “Off the field, we don’t talk that much; but if I have to ask something from him, definitely I would go to him and ask. Everytime he is telling me ‘enjoy your game and take care of your body’.” The pacer from Trinity College in Kandy then slipped in quiet request that is on every CSK fan’s wish-list. “Mahi bhai, if you can play one more season, please play with us. If I’m here (laughs).”

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'He's still in his 20s…': Ruturaj Gaikwad praises 'young' CSK wicketkeeper MS Dhoni | Cricket News

‘He’s still in his 20s…’: Ruturaj Gaikwad praises ‘young’ CSK wicketkeeper MS Dhoni | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: It’s hard not be a fan of MS Dhoni, especially if you play in the same team and add to that, if you have succeeded the legend as captain of a team that he led to as many as five IPL titles.A day after Chennai Super Kings went down to Punjab Kings by 7 wickets, the host broadcaster shared a video of CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad at a talk show answering a question on MS Dhoni.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLE“How did the young wicket-keeper perform in your opinion?” asks the anchor.Gaikwad replies with a smile, “He did quite well, I feel he should be in the Indian team now, he’s doing really well, he played some good shots. The reason why I said young was actually the amount of practice he was doing pre-season, the amount of hard work he was putting in and I think he was playing the best I’ve ever seen since the last five or six years. So I really feel he’s in his prime twenties. He is playing that kind of cricket right now. Definitely he’s still quite young and many more years to come for him to play.” Dhoni has the third best strike rate this IPL season. He has scored 110 runs from 10 matches at a strike rate of 229.17 and an average of 110.00.In the match against Punjab on Wednesday, Dhoni was dismissed for the first time in this IPL edition when he was run out after scoring a 11-ball 14.CSK are at the fourth spot in the points table with five victories and five defeats, and play their next game against Punjab again on Sunday in Dharamsala.

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Breaking down MS Dhoni's strange innings against PBKS | Crickit

Breaking down MS Dhoni’s strange innings against PBKS | Crickit

MS Dhoni holds a copyright over making late entries count. Mumbai Indians were handed a lesson in that when Dhoni smacked three sixes in a four-ball 20. Next match, Lucknow Super Giants conceded 28 off nine. A 16-ball 37* against Delhi Capitals should have ideally topped both these efforts but Dhoni probably waited too long to kickstart that assault as CSK ultimately lost by 20 runs. Wednesday’s innings was weird though. Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni plays a shot(AFP) Dhoni wasn’t saddled with a chase. The pitch wasn’t easy either. But with CSK’s innings evidently shaping to end sub-par, Dhoni turned down an opportunity to run two. A miscued slice prompted Daryl Mitchell to hare almost to the other end of the pitch when Dhoni asked him to go back. Maybe Dhoni wasn’t fit enough to run two, or perhaps he felt he could convert the remaining three balls better than Mitchell. Either way, that call couldn’t be justified as Dhoni ended up hitting only one six. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! But that’s not the only strange thing about Dhoni’s innings. Not being able to put away Rahul Chahar’s leg-breaks in the earlier over had a domino effect on CSK’s innings—Moeen Ali getting bowled off the fourth ball prompting a strange passage of play that made Dhoni look woefully out-of-touch, like he has rarely been before. Chahar’s line was the key here, making Dhoni reach out every time he bowled to him. Being a heavily bottom-handed batter, Dhoni has never quite mastered the art of mastering the off-side. So, by channelling wide outside the off stump, Chahar ensured that Dhoni didn’t get enough bat under the ball. “I didn’t want to bowl it fuller to him, he hits it well if you push it fuller,” said Chahar after CSK’s innings ended. That Arshdeep Singh was given a similar brief in the 20th over was evident in the way he was targeting wide outside Dhoni’s arc. Only one low full toss clobbered for a boundary out of the first four balls is good enough for any last over, especially against Dhoni. Sixteen runs off the last two overs, thus, was a rare day of success against CSK despite Dhoni taking the bulk of the strike. In hindsight, CSK’s batting shuffles may not have done Dhoni any favour, what with Mitchell being demoted to No 8 from No 3. Supplanting Ajinkya Rahane with Sameer Rizvi as Impact Player too flopped as he could score only 21 off 23 balls. That, at a time when CSK didn’t hit a single boundary for 55 balls—the longest stretch this season—perhaps was too large a pretext for Dhoni to react the way he normally does. More, probably because CSK aren’t getting their batting in order, the struggle being more evident after Shivam Dube got a duck and Ravindra Jadeja was dismissed cheaply before the halfway mark. “So, if you get to six overs, that’s the perfect time for him (Dube) to come in,” said CSK coach Stephen Fleming after their seven-wicket defeat. “The next thing is with left-right (combination), we want Jadeja to come in and take them (the spinners) on as well. But they bowled well. The Rizvi one, we will discuss a little bit more, may go the other way around with that one but again he’s positive and his ability to hit sixes in training has certainly been good. But there’s a temperament part of that as well that young players need to learn. So we have got a bit of information from that. “The casualty was Mitchell going down the order. What we learnt from the first part of the tournament was that if it goes too low, there are other players—Moeen Ali and MS—who can push the game along. So the window closes there but it was very much getting the tactics right for what we wanted to do in the middle. And that was to break their spinners up but they won that competition.”

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Stephen Fleming laments absence of key players as Chennai Super Kings ‘struggle’ in IPL 2024 | Crickit

Stephen Fleming laments absence of key players as Chennai Super Kings ‘struggle’ in IPL 2024 | Crickit

Five-time former champions Chennai Super Kings have fumbled lately in the Indian Premier League 2024 with only two wins from their last five games. On Wednesday, they were outclassed by the Punjab Kings where they could only manage to post 162 runs on the board. Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad played another outstanding innings of 62 runs from 48 deliveries to climb to the top of the orange cap list. However, the CSK opener couldn’t count on his team as wickets kept tumbling and bowlers leaked a lot of runs. Chennai Super Kings (CSK) coach Stephen Fleming addresses media.(PTI) CSK coach Stephen Fleming revealed that the team was plagued by injuries to the players and the unavailability of a few. The former Kiwi player began with ace bowler Deepak Chahar who left the field without completing the first over followed by Matheesha Pahirana and Maheesh Theekshana, who have flown back to Sri Lanka to get visas ahead of the T20 World Cup. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! Download Now! Meanwhile, CSK’s left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman also went back to fulfill the international commitments for Bangladesh. “Deepak Chahar doesn’t look good. Initial feeling wasn’t great. So we are waiting for more positive report. Physio and doctors will have a look. Sri Lankan boys are off to get visa. So we are hoping that their process is smooth. And we get them back for our next game up north (at Dharamshala). Richard Gleeson was good, he was positive,” Fleming revealed at the press conference. The Kiwi coach also disclosed that pacer Tushar Deshpande had also got flu which led to the changes against PBKS. “Tushar Deshpande got flu, so we had to make a few changes today, which is a bit unusual. But again that’s part of it and we have got resources. It’s just they haven’t got time to be comfortable about their roles and us to be comfortable with the game plan that we are struggling with,” he added. Skipper Gaikwad also expressed the difficulties while playing the match without the top players “It’s a real problem (on the player missing due to injuries and Chahar walking away in the first over), there are phases where you want wickets, but you have only two bowlers, the dew took the spinners out of the equation. It was tough, but there’re four games left and we will try and come back to winning ways,” the Chennai opener stated. CSK are currently placed at no.4 in the table with 10 points, with 5 wins from 10 games. The side will once again face PBKS in their next encounter and will look to settle the scores of defeat from their last match.

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IPL 2024: Stephen Fleming hoping for a positive report from CSK medical team on Deepak Chahar | Cricket News

IPL 2024: Stephen Fleming hoping for a positive report from CSK medical team on Deepak Chahar | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Although seamer Deepak Chahar‘s most recent injury “doesn’t look good,” Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming expressed optimism for a positive report from the team’s medical staff ahead of the ongoing IPL’s business phase.Fleming did not provide any information regarding Chahar’s recent injury, but in just the second ball of the Punjab Kings’ chase in Chennai on Wednesday night, the 31-year-old seamer was seen pulling off his run-up.IPL ORANGE CAP | IPL PURPLE CAP | IPL POINTS TABLEAfter speaking with the physiotherapist and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Chahar appeared to be suffering from a hamstring injury. He did not bowl during the remainder of the match.Injuries have plagued Chahar’s career in the past few years, depriving him a berth on the Indian squad.“Yeah, the travelogue is pretty busy. There’s a lot of ins and outs. So, Deepak Chahar doesn’t look good,” said Fleming during the post-match presser.“The initial feeling wasn’t great. So, I’m hoping for a more positive report when the physio and the doctor have a look.”Due to Chahar’s injury, Gaikwad was compelled to insert Shivam Dube, who has mostly been employed as a batter this season, for one over.However, Fleming acknowledged that Dube is not fit for the role in the IPL due to the Impact Player rule after Dube went for 14 in the one over he bowled. Dube will have his opportunity under the right circumstances.“He (Dube) is ready to bowl and is working hard on it. He will play a role in the right conditions, and with the Impact Player rule, we have players who can fit the role better. Currently, his necessity to bowl is pretty much small,” the coach said.CSK suffered a seven-wicket defeat to PBKS, their second loss at home this season, managing a meagre 162 for 7, which was comfortably chased down with 13 balls to spare.Talking about the demanding wicket at Chepauk, Fleming said, “It’s difficult, and we have spoken on the unpredictability of the wickets here before. Batting first makes it difficult for us to judge as to what a good competitive score is.“We had a couple of 200s (before), which was in our minds today. But, the wicket was very sticky.“We also had a good start in the (first) six overs before things became difficult. We also tried a few lefties in the form of Dube and (Ravindra) Jadeja but we just couldn’t get anything through the middle. They bowled really well, they got good purchase and held onto it. We just got stifled through the middle, which prevented us from getting a score of 180,” he said.With a low score to defend, Fleming was impressed with the commitment and performance shown by English pacer Richard Gleeson, who made his debut last night.“Richard Gleeson was good, and it was a positive. Losing Fizz (Mustafizur Rahman) is disappointing.“Tushar (Deshpande) has a bit of flu going around as well. So, we’ve had to make a few changes, which is unusual. Again, that’s part of it, and we have got the resources,” he said.“Just they haven’t had the game time to be really comfortable with their roles and us to be comfortable with a game plan, which we’re struggling a little.”Ajinkya Rahane, the experienced opener, reached double figures despite struggling in the last four games, although he was only able to get a score of 29 off of 24 balls.“I thought he (Rahane) was good today. He’s been probably a bit too aggressive in what he wants to do,” Fleming observed.“Keep in mind, we’re batting on wickets here that we don’t know how they are gonna play. So, we got to take a bit of a pause to see what a good score is. If you are 3 for 30, the game is pretty much over.“His (Rahane) hitting that was so good last year, is more crisp. It’s not for lack of intent. He has doubled up on intent. We’re fine with Jinks and the role he plays.” (With PTI inputs)

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On MS Dhoni's Run-Out, PBKS' "Thala For A Reason" Post Goes Viral

On MS Dhoni’s Run-Out, PBKS’ “Thala For A Reason” Post Goes Viral

For the 5th straight time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Punjab Kings secured a victory against Chennai Super Kings, this time defeating the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side by 7 wickets. Though Punjab haven’t had the best of IPL 2024 campaign, securing just 4 wins in 10 matches, they couldn’t resist the opportunity of trolling the Super Kings, having dominated them on yet another occasion. PBKS, in a series of posts on social media, wrote ‘Thala for a reason’, drawing references to the number 7. At first, PBKS trolled CSK after getting Dhoni run-out in the match. As Dhoni became the Kings’ 7th wicket of the innings, they wrote: “Dhoni was our 7th wicket today! Thala for a reason!” Dhoni was our 7th wicket today! Thala for a reason! — Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 1, 2024 Later, referring to their own position in the points table, 7, Punjab Kings once again wrote “Thala for a reason”. Our position in the points table!  Thala for a reason!  pic.twitter.com/nKWjZFm10u — Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) May 1, 2024 CSK could only muster a below-par 162/7. Gaikwad made a handsome 62 but other batters struggled against accurate spin bowling by Harpreet Brar and Rahul Chahar. CSK had to make two changes for the match as their Sri Lankan pacer Pathirana was nursing a niggle and Deshpande was unwell. Replacements Richard Gleeson and Shardul Thakur failed to impress as heavy dew set in during PBKS’s chase. “It is a real problem (not having Pathirana and Deshpande). There are phases where you want to get a wicket, and you have only two bowlers, plus the spinners are out of the question because of the dew. Can’t do much,” Gaikwad rued during the post-match presentation. The skipper added that the dew compounded CSK’s problem as they tried to restrict PBKS batters. “It’s very difficult. Even in the last game, we were quite surprised that we would win by that much margin. “This (dew) is something we can’t control. We can slightly bat better in the first innings. In the last two games, we tried our best to get 200-210. It was tough to get 180 in this pitch,” he said. Gaikwad said another 50-60 runs would have made the difference. “50-60 runs short to be honest. When we were batting first, the pitch wasn’t great, plus the dew as well (in the second innings).” Topics mentioned in this article

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MS Dhoni: 'Don't do that in a team game': Irfan Pathan questions MS Dhoni's decision not to take 'singles' | Cricket News

MS Dhoni: ‘Don’t do that in a team game’: Irfan Pathan questions MS Dhoni’s decision not to take ‘singles’ | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has raised concerns over MS Dhoni’s decision-making during Chennai Super Kings’ recent clash against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League, with specific focus on Dhoni’s approach towards strike rotation and his struggles against spin bowling.In a match where CSK set Punjab Kings a below-par target of 163 runs, Dhoni’s contribution of 14 off 11 balls came under scrutiny, particularly as Punjab Kings went on to chase down the target comfortably, securing a seven-wicket victory with 13 deliveries to spare. Pathan, speaking on Star Sports, expressed disappointment over Dhoni’s reluctance to take singles, remarking, “He shouldn’t have done that (refusing a single). This is a team game. Don’t do that in a team game. The other guy [Daryl Mitchell] is also an international player. If he had been a bowler, I would have understood it for sure,” Pathan criticized Dhoni’s decision-making, particularly his treatment of New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell. “You have done that with (Ravindra) Jadeja and with Mitchell as well. You don’t need to do that. He could have avoided it,” Pathan added, highlighting the negative impact of Dhoni’s actions on the team dynamic. Pathan also lauded Punjab Kings’ skipper Sam Curran‘s tactical acumen, particularly his decision to introduce spinner Rahul Chahar in the 19th over against Dhoni. “Curran getting a spinner to bowl the 19th over was a masterstroke because considering the form MS Dhoni is in, he could have taken the game way forward in those two overs. He could have scored 30 runs in two overs but they didn’t allow him to do that,” Pathan acknowledged, recognizing the astute captaincy. Reflecting on Dhoni’s struggles against spin bowling, Pathan noted, “You bowled to him with excellent planning. Although a six was hit for sure in Arshdeep’s over, he also bowled well. He (Dhoni) has been unable to score runs against spinners in the last few years, which is why he is bringing himself down the order. He is scoring runs in the last over when the fast bowlers are thinking of bowling yorkers.”Pathan’s critique highlights the tactical intricacies and strategic decisions that unfolded during the CSK vs Punjab Kings encounter.

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Pakistan targets right T20 combination against understrength New Zealand | Cricket

He doesn’t look good: CSK coach Stephen Fleming provides update on Deepak Chahar’s injury | Crickit

Chennai [India], : Chennai Super Kings head coach Stephen Fleming provided an injury update on pacer Deepak Chahar and said that the 31-year-old “doesn’t look good”. He doesn’t look good: CSK coach Stephen Fleming provides update on Deepak Chahar’s injury On Wednesday, during their Indian Premier League 2024 clash against Punjab Kings , Chahar walked off the field after sustaining an injury while bowling. Unlock exclusive access to the latest news on India’s general elections, only on the HT App. Download Now! He was given the first over of the second innings. Just after the second delivery, the CSK bowler pulled up in his delivery stride. Following this he talked with the skipper Rututaj Gaikwad and stepped outside the field after bowling just two balls into his spell. Shardul Thakur was called in to complete the remaining four deliveries of Chahar’s spell. While speaking at the post-match press conference, Fleming said the initial feeling “wasn’t great” on Chahar’s injury. He added that the CSK team management is waiting for “more positive report”. The head coach added Tushar Deshpande is currently suffering from flu for which he was not added in the playing eleven. “Deepak Chahar doesn’t look good. Initial feeling wasn’t great. So we are waiting for more positive report. Physio and doctors will have a look. Sri Lankan boys are off to get visa. So we are hoping that their process is smooth. And we get them back for our next game up north . Richard Gleeson was good, he was positive. Tushar Deshpande got flu, so we had to make a few changes today, which is a bit unusual. But again that’s part of it and we have got resources. It’s just they haven’t got time to be comfortable about their roles and us to be comfortable with the game plan that we are struggling with,” Fleming said. Recapping the match, the vibrant yellow wave in the stands of Chepauk was reduced to silence after PBKS effortlessly chased down 163 with more than two overs to spare. Stand-in skipper Sam Curran’s decision to put CSK to bat turned out to be the ideal one as the dew factor kicked in to become a hindrance for CSK bowlers in second half of the match. Ruturaj Gaikwad led from the front and scored 62 off 48 deliveries and MS Dhoni provided the finishing touches at the death to power CSK to 162/7. In reply, PBKS batters hardly broke a sweat while chasing 163. Jonny Bairstow and Rilee Rossouw forged a 64-run stand to completely shift the momentum in their favour. Curran and Shashank Singh applied the finishing touches to seal a 7-wicket win for PBKS. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

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