IPL 2023: 3 Players Who Will Be Crucial for Punjab Kings to Win CSK vs PBKS Match No. 41

IPL 2023: Punjab Kings are currently battling for a place in the playoffs. They are sitting in the middle of the table with four wins and four losses and an NRR of -0.510. But the last game for PBKS was just a nightmare for the bowler. PBKS locked horns with Lucknow Super Giants on Friday and conceded a huge total of 257/5. That was the second-highest IPL total ever.

However, there were some positives as well. Chasing the target, PBKS also scored 201, and the return of skipper Shikhar Dhawan will also provide a boost in the batting order. Though he couldn’t play a big inning against LSG, he will be the backbone of the team. PBKS will now face Chennai Super Kings in their next game on Sunday in Chennai. Hence, we will talk about three Punjab players who will be important in CSK vs PBKS Match No. 41.

IPL 2023: 3 Key Players for Punjab Kings in CSK vs PBKS Match No. 41

3. Atharva Taide

Despite a loss in the last game against LSG, one player stood tall for the Punjab Kings. It was No. 3 Atharva Taide who scored his maiden IPL half-century. He tried hard but got out at the wrong time. He scored 66 runs off 36 balls, with 8 fours and two sixes at a strike rate of 183.33.

With a good inning under his belt, he will enter the next game on Sunday with a lot of confidence. Taide played spinners and pacers very well, which reflects his skills. He can be a surprise player against CSK because he hasn’t had much exposure and other teams haven’t worked much on him. Taide has so far scored 99 runs at a strike rate of 170.69 and will look to make his mark in the next game.

2. Sam Curran

The last game didn’t go as well as expected for Sam Curran. He took 1/38 with the ball and scored 21 off 11 with the bat. But he is very important for PBKS. He was part of CSK for two seasons and is aware of how the pitch behaves. Thus, with the experience of playing in Chennai, Curran can prove to be the match-winner PBKS wants.

So far, he has scored 163 runs at a strike rate of 142.98 with nine sixes. With the ball, he has picked up six wickets in this tournament. That is a decent number, but he will look to improve them with a match-winning performance against his former team. CSK is aware of the danger that the English all-rounder can bring. Thus, they will look to keep him calm in the game.

1. Shikhar Dhawan

After sitting out for three consecutive games, “Gabbar” Shikhar Dhawan made his comeback in the last game against the Lucknow Super Giants. He missed the chance and got out cheaply. But a player of his caliber knows how to bounce back. And he will look to lead his team to victory. The PBKS skipper is the backbone of the PBKS batting lineup.

Notably, Dhawan is the only player in IPL history to score over 1,000 runs. He has scored 1029 runs in the IPL against CSK so far. That shows how he likes to perform against the four-time champion. The Southpaw will look to add some more runs to his tally. So far, Dhawan has scored 234 runs in five games at an average of 78 and a strike rate of 145.34, with two half-centuries.