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After weeks of 250-plus scores and batters dominating IPL 2024, we finally saw a couple of 150-run games in the last two days. The match between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) might end up going in a similar direction.
Both teams possess brilliant batting line-ups laced with middle-order hard-hitters. However, as SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) witnessed in their recent visit to Chepauk, that's not enough when the pitch starts to turn and even grip for pacers.
CSK found a way to deal with SRH's bowlers but now they'll meet a team desperate for wins, boasting one of the most under-rated attacks in the league.
Below, we have predicted three bowlers who can shine the brightest by picking the most wickets for their respective teams:
#3 Ravindra Jadeja
CSK's left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja is the easiest pick for taking wickets for matches at the Chepauk.
Against SRH, he bowled a match-killing spell of 1/22 when SRH were looking to take on the bowlers. Earlier, when Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) tried to take him on here, Jadeja returned a three-wicket haul. The last time he played against PBKS at home, in IPL 2023, he returned figures of 2/32.
PBKS are an excellent batting side, especially after Jonny Bairstow's return to form. However, their middle order has often been caught against spin. And Chepauk is almost like an exaggerated version of Mullanpur, PBKS' home ground where they struggled for wins in the first half of the season.
#2 Harshal Patel
Justifying PBKS' trust in him in the IPL 2024 auction, Harshal Patel is currently the joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Even one wicket on Wednesday would allow him to take the Purple Cap away from Jasprit Bumrah.
And Chepauk is perhaps the best ground to do it. He has played four matches here, recording figures of 2/19, 5/27, 2/25, and 2/17 against four different teams.
The pitch is just tailor-made for him and his variation of cutters and his bowling average of just eight is his best for any opponent in the IPL. Even against CSK overall, Harshal has 14 wickets in nine matches at a brilliant average of 17.36.
As pitches elsewhere also wear down further in IPL 2024, Harshal might be able to put a credible charge for the Purple Cap and this game might be the beginning.
#1 Matheesha Pathirana
With 13 wickets from six games and the worst figures of the season reading as good as 1/29, Matheesha Pathirana has been CSK's most consistent bowler in IPL 2024. Against SRH, he bulldozed Aiden Markram and Heinrich Klaasen to return 2/17 in just two overs, in another example of how much he loves Chepauk.
The slowness of the track allows him to build pressure with the ball and then he has the extraordinary skills - comparable to Bumrah - of making things happen out of nowhere. Pathirana would be CSK's biggest weapon against PBKS' top and middle order and if he gets to bowl four overs, he would likely return a big haul.
