Kings XI Punjab will take guard in Chennai and after the batting-friendly surfaces in Mohali and Jaipur, their biggest test will be to adjust to the sluggish and slow pace in Chepauk. R Ashwin, their captain, will be an asset, he knows the conditions like the back of his hand, but he will walk out to a hostile crowd and how his side responds will be very key.

CSK will be without Dwayne Bravo, and when Ashwin walks out against CSK in his home for the first time, it will be a spectacle to behold.

ALSO READ: CSK vs KXIP: Chennai Super Kings’ predicted XI against KXIP

“Ashwin is a thinking cricketer. He’s someone who really thinks about the game. He brings that into the team. A lot of thought and a lot of planning, about why we are playing a batsman or a bowler, comes from him. He’s defining roles and that helps the individual. He’s excited to be here in Chepauk. He knows the wicket in and out,” opening batsman Mayank Agarwal said before the match.

After the Mankading episode which keeps popping up, Kings XI have played some good cricket, they have identified a core which should help them when the going gets tough, and against CSK, a side which was halted by Mumbai Indians, this match could well be closely fought.

This is how the side could line up for the afternoon clash:

Kings XI Punjab, predicted XI:

KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Sarfaraz Khan, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran, R Ashwin (c), M Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Mujeeb ur Rahman

First Published: Apr 06, 2019 09:22 IST