CSK aim to play party poopers vs Punjab (IPL Match Preview 53)

Abu Dhabi, Oct 31 (IANS/GloFans) Five wins on the trot saw Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) making a turnaround in their fortunes before a defeat to Rajasthan Royals (RR) dented their Indian Premier League playoff chances. KXIP side will now have to play out of their skin against a buoyant Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday and strengthen their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.
With the race to playoffs intensifying, KXIP (12 points from 13 games) will not just bank on a win but would also hope all other calculations go their way to enable them to finish among the top four at the end of the league phase. Although Rajasthan Royals (-0.377) and Kolkata Knight Riders (-0.467) also have 12 points each, KXIP have a better net run rate (-0.133) than them at the moment.
Chennai, on the other hand, have nothing to lose and will be ready to play spoilsport and remain “relevant”, as their captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said the other day.
It was their bowlers, who let them down against the Royals, failing to defend a good 185-run total on board.
KXIP batters Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Mandeep Singh are in good touch. Mandeep failed to get going against RR, but is likely to be dropped on Sunday while MayankA garwal’s comeback remains uncertain.
Nicholas Pooran has fired down the order, but requires to bat with more responsibility as a single mistake here could possibly see their campaign getting over.