CHENNAI VS. PUNJAB: INDIAN T20 LEAGUE 2021, MATCH 53 | PREDICTION, PLAYING 11 AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Chennai take on Punjab in Match 53 of the Indian T20 League 2021 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
Chennai have lost their last two matches to Delhi and Rajasthan and need to win this match to finish in the top 2 spots in the points table. Currently, they are in 2nd place with 18 points from their 13 matches. They will look for some momentum going into the play-offs.
On the other hand, Punjab must win this match to stay in the play-offs race. They have lost 3 of their 5 matches in the second leg and need to win this match to have a chance to clinch the last play-off spot. The team is currently placed 6th in the points table with 10 points.
Match Details
- Game: Chennai vs. Punjab, Match 53
- Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
- Date & Time: Oct. 7, 2021, at 3:30 PM IST/2 PM Local
Probable Playing XI
Chennai
Rituraj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C & WK), DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Punjab
KL Rahul (C & WK), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be hot in Dubai, with the temperature predicted to be around 37 degrees during the game.
Pitch Report
Although the pitches in Dubai have traditionally favored pace bowlers, there has been ample help for the spinners this season. The batters have struggled to put up big scores in the matches played here. The average score on this pitch during this season has been 154 runs.
Toss
The team batting second has won the last 5 matches played here as the pitch tends to get a little better to bat on as the match progresses. Putting a total on the board is proving to be difficult in Dubai. A first-innings score of around 165 runs can be a competitive one here.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- KL Rahul has been a consistent performer for Punjab over the last four years and is currently the highest run scorer in the 2021 edition, with 528 runs at an average of 52.80 and a strike rate of 129.09. He has scores of 67 and 49 in the previous two games played here.
Batters
- Rituraj Gaikwad leads Chennai's batting department this season and is the leading run scorer for the team in the ongoing season, with 521 runs at an average of 47.36 and a strike rate of 138.93. He has scored one century and 3 half-centuries and looks good for a big score here.
- Mayank Agarwal has been in good form this season with 429 runs in 11 matches at an average of 42.9 and a strike rate of 142.05. He has done well with the bat in the second leg, scoring 2 half centuries in the four matches played. He has scores of 40 and 57 in the previous two games played here.
All-Rounder
- Ravindra Jadeja has done an excellent job with his all-round performances this season. In 13 matches, Jadeja has taken 10 wickets at an economy rate of 6.75 and has also scored 212 runs at an average of 70.66. He is coming off a good bowling spell of 2/28 against Delhi.
Bowlers
- Shardul Thakur is the highest wicket taker for Chennai this season, taking 15 wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.52. He has been brilliant in the middle overs with an economy rate of 5.53 in the second leg. Expect him to continue his good form in this match too.
- Arshdeep Singh has been impressive for Punjab this season. He bowls wide yorkers quite well and is pretty effective in the death overs. He has taken 16 wickets in the tournament and has figures of 5/32 and 3/32 in the last two matches he has played at this venue.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: KL Rahul
- Batters: R Gaikwad, F du Plessis, A Markram, M Agarwal
- All-rounders: D Bravo, R Jadeja, M Ali
- Bowlers: S Thakur, A Singh, R Bishnoi
- Captain: D Bravo/F du Plessis
- Vice Captain: M Agarwal/KL Rahul
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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