"He is not bowling that well" - Aakash Chopra picks Arshdeep Singh among PBKS players in focus in IPL 2024 clash vs CSK

Ahead of the Punjab Kings' (PBKS) IPL 2024 clash against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Aakash Chopra has noted that Arshdeep Singh hasn't been at his best in IPL 2024.

The two sides will square off at Chepauk in Chennai on Wednesday, May 1. With six points from nine games, PBKS are placed eighth on the points table. They might need to win all their remaining five league games to have realistic chances of reaching the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra picked Arshdeep as the Punjab Kings bowler to watch out for in Wednesday's game.

"Since Arshdeep Singh has been selected now, let's look towards Arsh. To be very honest, he is not bowling that well. He was bowling back-of-the-hand slower ones against Sunil Narine. I was asking why he was doing that. He was bowling wides," he reasoned (10:35).

"The confidence is not coming, which should come, because Arshdeep is very close to my heart. Please Arsh, you need to bowl well in this match, pitch the ball full, and bring it in. Ruturaj (Gaikwad) has slight difficulties against left-armers, so please do the needful. Bowl well at the death also. You might get Mahi (MS Dhoni) in front of you, that could be a good contest," the former India opener added.

With 12 scalps in nine games, Arshdeep is PBKS' joint second-highest wicket-taker in IPL 2024, alongside Sam Curran and only behind Harshal Patel (14). However, the Indian left-arm seamer has proved expensive, conceding an average of 9.63 runs per over. He will want to give a better account of himself heading into the T20 World Cup.

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"My first player to watch out for is Jonny Bairstow" - Aakash Chopra on PBKS batters in focus

Jonny Bairstow scored an unbeaten century in PBKS' record chase against KKR. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra chose Jonny Bairstow as the first Punjab Kings batter in focus against the Chennai Super Kings.

"My first player to watch out for is Jonny Bairstow, although I feel they (CSK) will trap him in this match. They will bowl wide or within the three stumps after keeping square leg back. They will figure out, and if Deepak Chahar gets the ball to swing, he will be more than a handful," he said (9:30).

The reputed commentator is also eager to watch Shashank Singh continue his consistent run with the bat.

"The second player - of course, I don't look beyond Shashank these days because he bats with great maturity. He not only has power but a lot of cricketing smarts, that which bowler needs to be hit, when, in which direction, and how hard. He was defending against Sunil Narine that day (in the last game against KKR)," Chopra elaborated.

With 263 runs at a strike rate of 182.63 in nine innings, Shashank is PBKS' highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. The middle-order batter smashed an unbeaten 68 off 28 deliveries in his side's record 262-run chase against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).