Chennai Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab will fight for a semifinal spot in their Indian Premier League here on Wednesday.
Super Kings lost their last match to bottom-placed Kolkata Knight Riders which left them on 15 points and still requiring a victory in their last league match to make the semifinal cut. If they lose, they will have to depend on the results of other teams to reach the last four stage.
For Kings XI Punjab, who are on 14 points, a loss here will be the end of their title hopes. They will be high on confidence after back-to-back wins over Delhi Daredevils and Deccan Chargers. In their last match, against the Chargers, Kings XI Punjab pulled off a close win defending a low total of 134 runs.
Their bowling looks in good shape with Irfan Pathan and Brett Lee in fine touch. The slower bowlers in Ramesh Powar and Piyush Chawla, too, have provided breakthroughs at important times. And skipper Yuvraj Singh has been a revelation with the ball, claiming two hat-tricks in the tournament, one coming against the Chargers on Sunday.
Yuvraj will hope for a similar performance with the bat as they have been over-dependent on Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardena, whose return after missing the match against the Chargers will bolster the team.
Super Kings will have to quickly regroup after their loss to the Knight Riders. Skipper M.S. Dhoni minced no words when he asked his bowlers to raise their game after they failed to defend a target of 188. Their batting though has been the best in the tournament with Matthew Hayden, Suresh Raina, and Dhoni in top form.
The bowling has been a let down time and again in the tournament. Super Kings had confidently thrashed Kings XI in the first match and Dhoni is confident of a similar result. “It is a must win situation for us. We were in a similar situation last year as well and had to win our last match to move into the semis,• Dhoni said.
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