| Semi-final or exit for Chennai |
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| Sunday, 18 April 2010 15:40 |
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This match, in scenic Himachal Pradesh, is of little consequence for Kings XI Punjab, but with four teams vying for three open semi-final spots, this is huge for Chennai Super Kings. If they win - and their superior net run-rate gives them an advantage over the other teams - they will get into the final four. Lose, and their campaign is over. For Punjab, this is their last chance for a "home" win. Dharamsala has turned host for the final two matches of Punjab's campaign and while the crowd hasn't entirely warmed up to the presence of Punjab's squad, they have flocked to the stadium and filled it completely. Punjab will, however, remain at the bottom of the pile no matter what the result and that's a bitter pill to swallow for their captain Kumar Sangakkara, who entered the tournament high on confidence and promised a turnaround in the team's fortunes. For the second year running, the semi-final remains elusive for Punjab. Team talk Chennai dropped Muttiah Muralitharan from the last game and despite Michael Hussey's poor start to the tournament, he may remain on the bench. R Ashwin has been outstanding and Shadab Jakati has been a tidy back-up, so all signs are that Murali won't play. Punjab have nothing to lose, but signing off with a win is a priority. Local face Vikramjeet Malik was ordinary against Deccan Chargers, yet could keep his place. Shalabh Srivastava looks primed for the bench after another shoddy outing. |
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