Chennai Super Kings v Punjab Kings: IPL 2022 match preview

The Cricketer takes a look at the next fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League season

What's the match?

Chennai Super Kings take on Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League.

When is it taking place?

The game will be played on Sunday, April 3. The first ball will be bowled at 7.30pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The game will be held at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Who's got the form?

Chennai Super Kings have had a tough start to their title defence, losing to KKR and Lucknow Super Giants by six wickets.

Against KKR, a collective top-order failing left them defending just 131, a total which KKR chased down with nine balls to spare following a spirited bowling performance.

Against Lucknow, however, it was a completely different story. Robin Uthappa, Shivam Dube and Moeen Ali were on form with the bat to carry their side to a monster total of 210 for 7.

Unfortunately, they failed to defend this total, with Lucknow fighting back from 72 off 32 balls to win with three balls to spare thanks to an Evin Lewis half-century. Dwaine Pretorius and Dwayne Bravo were the only bowlers to emerge with sub-10 economies.

Punjab Kings, meanwhile, started their tournament in winning fashion, chasing down 205 against Royal Challengers Bangalore thanks to an eight-ball 25 from Odean Smith.

However, they were brought back down to earth against KKR. Mayank Agarwal's side were bowled out for 137, a total the 2021 finalists chased down with 33 balls to spare.

^{MS Dhoni has scored 66 runs at 150 for CSK in the middle order}

What's the key match-up?

Both bowling attacks have leaked 200-plus runs in an innings, with Punjab conceding 205 against RCB and Chennai Super Kings 211 against Lucknow.

This match will likely be decided by which bowling attack holds its nerve after a bruising start to the 2022 IPL.

Rahul Chahar, who has figures of 3 for 35 from his eight overs to date, will likely be the big threat for Punjab Kings while the return of Kagiso Rabada against KKR made a positive impression on the side's bowling analysis.

CSK, meanwhile, showed good discipline against KKR, coming within nine balls of defending 131 to suggest their meltdown against Lucknow may have been a one-off.

Head-to-head record 

Matches played: 26

Chennai Super Kings wins: 16

Punjab Kings wins: 10

What's the weather forecast?

A sunny day in Mumbai is set to give way to a warm evening, with temperatures hovering around 28 degrees Celsius at the start of play.

What are the squads?

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, Arshdeep Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell

^{Odean Smith was central to Punjab Kings' victory over RCB}

What are the possible starting XIs?

Chennai Super Kings: Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Dwaine Pretorius, Dwayne Bravo, Mukesh Choudhary, Tushar Deshpande

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Raj Bawa, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Odean Smith, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

What are the odds?

Chennai Super Kings are the favourites, with odds of 3/4. Punjab Kings are available at 5/4.

What's the prediction?

If CSK can piece together their bowling performance against KKR and their batting performance against Lucknow, the two points should be theirs.

Where can I watch the game?

In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.

Fans in India can watch all of the action on Star Sports.

Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.

Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.

Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.

The IPL can also be streamed on Disney+ and Hotstar in certain areas.