KL Rahul will be eager to extend his triumph with regard to the toss to even in case of the final scoreline, considering the race for playoff spots where CSK are favourably placed.
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Punjab Kings (PBKS) skipper KL Rahul has opted to field after winning the toss in Match 53 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK). Rahul will certainly note the importance of the fixture from the point of view of the Punjab-based franchise, considering the intense race for the playoffs. A triumph is supremely important for the team, to stay in contention. CSK on the other hand, are virtually guaranteed a finish in the top two spots, making this clash a fine opportunity to experiment a bit.
MS Dhoni, the captain of the Chennai-based franchise admitted that he was not confident about representing CSK in the upcoming edition, considering the launch of two new teams.
“It is tough to maintain fitness. Whenever we came back for the second leg, we knew we will have back to back games. We had three games in 5 days. No, we are playing with the same XI. The heat is a factor. The wicket looks good. Well, you can see me in yellow next year. But whether I will be playing for CSK? There are a lot of uncertainties around it for a simple reason that we have two new teams coming up. We don’t know the retention policy. We don’t know how many foreigners, Indian players we can retain, the money cap that every player will be cutting from the kitty. So there are a lot of uncertainties. Unless the rules are in place you can’t really decide that. So we will wait for it to happen and hopefully it will be good for everyone,” he stated as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Rahul termed an opportunity to look at the permutations and combinations as aspects that determined his decision to field.
“We will bowl first. That is one of the reasons why we are bowling first as we can have a look at the permutations and combinations to look at. The middle order has tried their best and hasn’t delivered at times. They are all quality players and performed for their respective teams. Just one change. Jordan comes in for Pooran,” stated the PBKS skipper.
One of the top performers in the CSK setup has been all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, with the cricketer celebrating his birthday today.
“The feeling is good, this is an important game for us. Everytime we play, every game against every opponent, it’s important. In a tournament like IPL, you are bound to lose a few games on the run. Having said that, we are very proud with the way we go about in this campaign, especially in the second leg. This game is another important game, we want to challenge ourselves as a team to make sure we bounce back from the last game and go into the knockouts with a win under our belt,” stated Bravo.
“I use my experience, depending on the stage of the game I come out to bowl or whenever I am going to bat I allow the scoreboard to dictate how I play and what I need to do at that point in time. This ground, one side is bigger than the other, depending on the end I bowl on, I will know what line and length I want to bowl. For me it’s about how the game unfolds on that day, then I come up with my own personal game-plan,” he added.
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