Chennai Super Kings v Punjab Kings Prediction: 1/5/2024

Team News: Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings

Chennai Super Kings might miss Mustafizur Rahman as he’s likely involved in Bangladesh’s T20 match against Zimbabwe on Friday. His absence opens a spot for either Richard Gleeson or Mitch Santner in the overseas quota.

Projected CSK Lineup: Rahane/Thakur, Gaikwad, Mitchell, Dube, Moeen, Jadeja, Dhoni, Deepak Chahar, Gleeson, Deshpande, Pathirana

For Punjab Kings, Shikhar Dhawan might return after their successful chase against KKR, though it’s unclear how he will be reintegrated. Jonny Bairstow remains key after a significant century, and Liam Livingstone could come in for Rilee Rossouw if he’s fit.

Projected Punjab Lineup: Prab Singh/Arshdeep (subs), Bairstow, Shashank, Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh, Ashutosh, Brar, Harshal, Rabada, Rahul Chahar

Pitch Report

Chepauk Stadium has seen low scores with twelve of the last twenty-four first innings not crossing 160 runs. Despite this, Chennai has posted high totals like 210 against Sunrisers and 212 in a losing effort against Lucknow. Given Punjab’s inconsistent batting, many might consider betting below the par line of 184.5.

Match Odds

Historically, Chennai Super Kings have won over 70% of their IPL matches at Chepauk and are currently priced at 1.72. This price is attractive, given their reliability, especially against a less consistent Punjab team.

Strategy

If Punjab bats first, and the pitch at Chennai proves challenging, we might still favor Chennai in a chase, particularly if dew affects the bowling side, as seen in previous games. There’s confidence in CSK maintaining or improving their odds during the chase.

Player Bets

Ruturaj Gaikwad, in exceptional form, is a favored pick, and Shivam Dube offers value at 4/1 as a potent spin hitter. His odds represent a season high and should he not play, the bet is void.

Prediction: Bet on Liam Livingstone to be the top scorer for Punjab at 15/2.