Match: Team Chennai vs Team Punjab, (CHN vs PUN, Match 41)

Date: April 30, 2023 – 3:30 PM IST

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai

Team Punjab will take on Team Chennai in match no. 41 of the Indian T20 League 2023. The two teams will clash at MA Chidambaram Stadium – the Chepauk in Chennai on Sunday, April 30.

Chennai are placed well on the table with 10 points from eight matches. MS Dhoni’s men have won five games and lost three. Their net run-rate (0.376) took some damage in the previous game, where they lost to Rajasthan by 32 runs. 

Maheesh Theekshana was the only economical bowler, picking 1 for 24 off four overs. The rest of the attack was taken apart as Rajasthan posted 202. Ruturaj Gaikwad made 47 in 29 balls at the top while Shivam Dube smashed 52 off 33. But other batters couldn’t do much and they were left with too much to do at the end. 

Team Punjab are in the middle of the table, where plenty of teams are fighting for higher honours. They have eight points to their credit, having won four matches out of eight. Their net run-rate slumped to -0.510 after their 56-run hammering at the hands of Lucknow.

Punjab’s bowlers would like to forget the night of April 28, where they were absolutely annihilated by Lucknow. They conceded the second highest total in the league’s history as Lucknow posted 257/5. In response, Punjab were on the backfoot from the get go. Atharva Taide scored 66 off 36 but their main hitters came too late and had too much to do.  

Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for CHN vs PUN, Match 41

MA Chidambaram – the Chepauk stadium has historically produced pitches that favour spinners more. As many as 22 league matches have been hosted here since 2017, with the average batting first score of 156. Three games have been played here this season, with the team batting first scoring 217, 175 and 134. 

The Chennai weather could be a concern for the match as there’s a possibility of thunderstorms in some parts. The weather is expected to be mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of precipitation. 

Team Chennai – Expected XI and Team News 

Chennai have been unchanged in the last few matches. Most of their players are doing well. Ben Stokes’ availability remains unclear while Matheesha Pathirana has taken his chances. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja and Maheesh Theekshana are top fantasy picks from this side.

Probable XI – Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh, Matheesha Pathirana 

Team Punjab – Expected XI and Team News 

Team Punjab had their captain Shikhar Dhawan back in the previous game after being on the sidelines due to an injury. Bhanuka Rajapaksa hasn’t yet recovered fully. Sikandar Raza was brought back in the previous game, replacing Matt Short. 

Probable XI – Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Atharva Taide, Sikandar Raza, Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Head to Head record of CHN vs PUN

Total Encounters – 28

Team Punjab won – 12

Team Chennai won – 16

Punjab lead the last five encounters by 3-2.

Best Captaincy Picks for the CHN vs PUN match

Devon Conway: Wicketkeeper Batter, Team Chennai 

Devon Conway has been outstanding for Chennai at the top of the order. The left hand batter has scored 322 runs in eight innings this season at an average of 46 and strike rate of 137. Conway has registered four fifties in the competition with the highest of 83. Conway remains a top captaincy pick.

Shikhar Dhawan: Batter, Team Punjab 

Shikhar Dhawan had a great start to the season before an injury forced him to sit out of a few games. He has scored 234 runs in five games this season at an average of 78 while striking at 145. He smashed an unbeaten 99 in one of the games. Dhawan remains a good C/VC option. 

Ravindra Jadeja: All-rounder, Team Chennai 

An afternoon game at the Chepauk means there’s not many better captaincy options than Ravindra Jadeja. He has taken 11 wickets from eight games at an economy of 7.42, including best figures of 3 for 20. Jadeja can also add crucial runs at the back end. 

Top Differential Picks 

Moeen Ali: All-rounder, Team Chennai  

Moeen Ali could play a key role in this game with Punjab having two left handers in the top order. He has picked seven wickets in the season and has scored 97 runs at 145 strike rate. He’s picked by 36% of MPL teams and can be a good differential.

Atharva Taide: Batter, Team Punjab  

Atharva Taide has been impressive in the limited opportunities he has received. He scored a brilliant 66 off 36 in the previous game against Lucknow. He is picked by less than 28% of the fantasy players and can provide good differential value.

MPL Fantasy XI 

Where and what time to watch the match live in India 

Star Sports Network has acquired the television rights of the Indian T20 League 2023 while Viacom 18 have bagged the digital rights. You can watch the matches on Star Sports channels or stream online on Jio Cinema. 

Note: The players recommended here need not be a part of the Playing 11 on game day. Users are advised to do their own research also and follow official sources and create their teams.