Punjab Kings v Chennai Super 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?

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

When is it taking place?

The match will be played on Monday, April 25 with the first ball being bowled at 7.30pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The teams will face off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Who's got the form?

Neither really, though Chennai earned their second win of a disappointing campaign by condeming Mumbai Indians to a seventh straight defeat on Thursday. They sit ninth in the 10-team table, immediately behind Punjab Kings, who have only been one victory better than Monday's opponents.

Mayank Agarwal's side were demolished by Delhi Capitals in their last outing, finding themselves skittled for just 115 before David Warner and Prithvi Shaw knocked off the total with almost half the innings unused.

A return to winning ways against Ravindra Jadeja's charges, though, would see Punjab move onto the coattails off the top five.

The decision to drop allrounder Odean Smith, replacing him with Australian seamer Nathan Ellis against Delhi, seemed bizarre at the time, given the high-risk strategy employed by Punjab, and it showed once the entire top four had fallen within the first seven overs - from which they never recovered. A rethink is required there.

^{MS Dhoni will take the gloves for CSK (Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)}

What's the key match-up?

No one has scored more runs at a higher strike rate in this year's competition than Liam Livingstone, so how Chennai Super Kings target the Englishman will be pivotal to their chances.

One run ahead of him in the overall batting stakes is Robin Uthappa, the Indian veteran, who has been a consistent source of runs for CSK in a generally miserable season thus far. Shivam Dube has been their leading run-scorer with 236; only six players tournament-wide have managed more.

Head-to-head record

Matches played: 25

Chennai Super Kings wins: 15

Punjab Kings wins: 10

No results: 0

What's the weather forecast?

A warm day is expected in Mumbai, with highs of 36 degrees Celsius.

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

What are the possible starting XIs?

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

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal, Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh

^{Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali could come up against one another (Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images)}

What are the odds?

Punjab Kings are available at odds of 10/11, while a Chennai Super Kings win is being offered at 1/1.

What's the prediction?

Punjab Kings tactically muddled themselves against Delhi Capitals and their batting line-up without Odean Smith looked a gamble given the hitting power of the top six. Chennai Super Kings, despite their poor start, come into this one on the back of a win and might just be able to put together a run of victories.

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.