Punjab Kings vs Chennai Super Kings Betting Tips

Punjab Kings will face off Chennai Super Kings in match eight of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Mumbai on Friday.

The home team in this fixture will be coming in with a feel-good factor as they managed to register a narrow four-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their opening match of the competition.

On the other hand, the Super Kings will be coming in this match relatively shaken after suffering a thumping seven-wicket defeat in their first match of the competition against Delhi Capitals, that too despite managing to score a competitive total of 188 while batting first.

Both teams have faced off 23 times in the history of IPL where Chennai have an edge as they went on to win on 14 occasions compared to Punjab’s nine victories.

However, in the last five meetings, the Super Kings have been even more dominant as they emerged victorious on four occasions, which included two victories in the IPL 2020 by 10 and nine-wicket margins.

Punjab Kings Form and Team News: 

After registering a near-perfect performance in the match against Rajasthan, Punjab Kings are unlikely to make a lot of changes in the playing XI for the match on Friday.

However, surprisingly, the world’s best T20I batsman Dawid Malan and England’s ace pacer Chris Jordan were not included in the playing XI in the previous fixture and it will be a surprise if they will once again miss out in this game as well.

In the batting department, Kings will be relying on the likes of captain KL Rahul, West Indies’ veteran opening batsman Chris Gayle, in-form Deepak Hooda, and dangerous Mayank Agarwal to score the bulk of the runs.

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Jhye Richardson, Mohammad Shami, and Riley Meredith to produce timely breakthroughs.

Chennai Super Kings Form and Team News:

After a rather disappointing performance in the match against Delhi, Chennai are likely to make few adjustments in the playing XI.

The franchise struggled in the fast-bowling department in the previous match and it seems like the absence of Josh Hazlewood—who withdrew just days before the start of the competition—dented the team’s preparations significantly.

Chennai did manage to sign Jason Behrendorff as Hazlewood’s replacement but it is not clear when he will be able to join the squad.

The big good news for the franchise will be that South Africa’s pacer Lungi Ngidi, who was unavailable in the first match to complete his mandatory quarantine, is now available to become a part of the playing XI.

In the batting department, the team will be relying on the like of in-form Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, and Ambati Rayudu to score the bulk of the runs.

On the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, and Dwayne Bravo to produce timely breakthroughs.

Odds by Casumo

According to the Casumo sportsbook, Punjab Kings will be favorites to win the eighth game of the Indian Premier League to be played at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. For the 8th IPL game, Punjab Kings are placed at 1.82 odds, while Chennai Super Kings are placed at 1.94 odds.

Check out our IPL Odds here

 

Our Tipster’s Angle

Since it is very early days in the competition, it is hard to predict which team will have the momentum for the match on Friday.

However, looking at both teams on paper and the conditions under which the match will be played, the prediction is for Punjab Kings to win the match and make it two wins out of two.

Tip 1: Lokesh Rahul to lead the charge with the bat for Punjab

After producing a blistering 91 runs against Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Skipper Lokesh Rahul will be looking to continue his excellent form with the bat against Chennai Super Kings.

For the past couple of years, Lokesh Rahul has been a consistent performer for Punjab at the top of the innings. Rahul will take heart from the fact that he holds decent numbers against Chennai Super Kings.

In six matches played against Chennai, Rahul has accumulated 262 runs at a strike rate of 134.36. Given his majestic innings in the opening fixture, we are expecting Rahul to score 40 runs or more against [email protected].

Tip 2: Faf du Plessis to make a strong comeback in this contest

Former South African captain perished for a duck in the previous game played against Delhi Capitals. Faf du Plessis will be determined to do well and get back amongst the runs against Punjab.

The 36-year old will take heart from the fact that he holds excellent numbers against Punjab Kings. In 12 matches played, Du Plessis has accumulated 481 runs at an average of 53.44 with five half-centuries to his name.

Given his impressive overall record against Punjab, we are expecting Faf du Plessis to score 35 runs or more in this [email protected]

Conclusion

Punjab Kings to beat Chennai Super Kings in a high-scoring thriller.

1. Lokesh Rahul to score 40 runs or more against Chennai-Punjab [email protected]
2. Faf du Plessis to score 35 runs or more in this contest-Chennai Super [email protected]

Check out our IPL Odds here