In a high-voltage clash of the Indian Premier League, Chennai Super Kings will host Lucknow Super Giants at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. The clash is crucial as it will be the first meeting between the two sides this season, and it carries major implications for both teams.

Chennai, who are peaking at the right time, will aim to register a third consecutive victory. Lucknow, meanwhile, enter the match with their backs against the wall, as another defeat would end their hopes of reaching the playoffs. Talking about Chennai, for them the season did not begin positively, suffering three successive defeats. However, the five-time champions have bounced back impressively, winning five of their next seven matches to revive their campaign.

A major factor behind this resurgence has been the batting of Sanju Samson. The dynamic batter has brought aggression and confidence to the top order, firing a series of destructive knocks that have changed the momentum of games in CSK’s favour. Another positive for CSK has been the emergence of Kartik Sharma. The young batter has delivered impactful performances in pressure chases. Still, captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has struggled for consistency. He smashed back-to-back half-centuries earlier in the campaign, but he has not been able to maintain that rhythm consistently. Meanwhile, CSK would expect Dewald Brevis and Shivam Dube to step up as they look to continue the winning momentum.

On the other hand, Lucknow, sitting at the bottom of the table with only three wins from ten matches, are in desperate need of a win. Every remaining game for them is effectively a knockout encounter if they hope to stay alive in the playoff race. Mitchell Marsh, coming off a blistering century in the last match, will be crucial for LSG. Nicholas Pooran and Rishabh Pant will also be crucial for them.

Head-to-head

Matches - 6

CSK won - 2

LSG won - 3

No result - 1

CSK Possible XII: Sanju Samson (wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Urvil Patel, Kartik Sharma, Dewald Brevis, Jamie Overton, Gurjapneet Singh, Shivam Dube, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary

LSG Possible XII: Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Aiden Markram, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Singh