3 player battles to watch out for in CSK vs PBKS, Match 49 of IPL 2024 ft. Shashank Singh vs Matheesha Pathirana 

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will aim to be at their rampant best when they play their third straight home match. The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side will host the Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Wednesday, May 1, as Punjab look to build on their historic win over the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) recently.

PBKS have a four-match winning streak over CSK, having last tasted defeat at the hands of the five-time champions in the 2021 edition. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side recorded a thrilling last-ball win during their last trip to the MA Chidambaram Stadium, and their overall record at the venue is decent.

CSK will desire a unified batting performance after being carried by Ruturaj Gaikwad and Shivam Dube in recent matches. The defending champions made the huge decision to drop Rachin Ravindra from the playing XI and have stuck with it.

As far as PBKS are concerned, their batting was affected by Dhawan's injury and Jonny Bairstow's poor form. The revamped batting unit did not work at all, but it did unearth Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma's finishing abilities. The team also dropped Rahul Chahar from their plans for the majority of the season, but the leg spinner was one of the best bowlers on show in the run-fest against KKR and could have a say at the Chepauk.

On that note, let us take a look at three-player battles in the upcoming clash between CSK and PBKS in IPL 2024.

#1 Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Arshdeep Singh

Ruturaj Gaikwad has turned his IPL campaign around with an incredible set of knocks of late.

Although his form was never in doubt, his place in the modern approach was questioned by several. Gaikwad showcased how class and power can go hand in hand to be equally effective as wild slogging, and it is that sheer class that will put to the test against Arshdeep Singh.

The left-arm pacer has managed to hold onto a place in Team India's 2024 T20 World Cup squad despite a bleak IPL campaign so far. He has taken 12 wickets in nine matches at an economy rate of 9.64. With only a couple of wickets under his belt at the Chepauk in his three appearances at the venue, he will be looking to improve his record.

Arshdeep Singh and Ruturaj Gaikwad have a very tight head-to-head record in the shortest format. The left-arm pacer has restricted the opening batter to just 37 runs off 34 balls and even dismissed him twice.

Gaikwad's strike rate in this matchup reads only 108.82. Furthermore, he has been dismissed by left-arm pacers four times in IPL 2024 already, including in his previous outing against the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH).

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#2 Shivam Dube vs Harshal Patel

Shivam Dube remains the mainstay in the CSK batting order, and his recent selection for the World Cup is bound to spur him on. He has been equally destructive against spin and pace bowling, and it will be up to PBKS to come up with a plan against the in-form all-rounder.

Harshal Patel, operating in the same time around as Dube, will prove to be the key. The right-arm pacer has not had much success against Dube in the limited set of meetings so far.

Dube has scored 21 runs off 13 balls off Harshal Patel at a strike rate of 161.53 while managing to not lose his wicket even once. When these two players met last year, back when Harshal Patel was with RCB, Dube had smashed a 111-meter six at the Chinnaswamy.

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#3 Shashank Singh vs Matheesha Pathirana

Shashank Singh has grown in stature in recent times, even emerging as a potential left-field choice for the T20 World Cup squad, considering the blistering form that he is in. With momentum by his side after a match-winning explosive knock against KKR, the right-handed batter will be hungry for more.

Sending Shashank back early will be one of the top priorities for CSK with the ball, and the biggest weapon they have is made just for this task. Pathirana has sent many hitters like Heinrich Klaasen, Suryakumar Yadav, Nicholas Pooran, and Mitchell Marsh in the tournament so far.

How Shashank fares against the unorthodox pacer will determine how PBKS progress in the second half of their innings.