PBKS vs CSK Prediction: Who will win today’s IPL 2021 match?

Punjab Kings (PBKS) will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a crucial IPL 2021 clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Friday.

PBKS are flying high after their last-ball win over the Rajasthan Royals in their IPL opener. Batting first on a flat Wankhede wicket, Punjab scored 221/6, courtesy of useful contributions from KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Deepak Hooda.

Despite Sanju Samson’s brilliant century, Arshdeep Singh held his nerve in the last over to help PBKS start their IPL 2021 campaign on a winning note.

While Punjab seemed at home playing at the batting-friendly Wankhede, Chennai Super Kings looked out of sorts in their opening IPL game. CSK, who have assembled their team, keeping the rank turners of Chepauk in mind, struggled to keep up with the flat nature of the Wankhede surface.

Suresh Raina’s fifty and a late blitzkrieg from Sam Curran took CSK to 188/7 against the Delhi Capitals. But the score was chased down without any fuss, with Shikhar Dhawan and Prithvi Shaw registering a 138-run opening stand.

But Chennai have the upper hand when it comes to their head-to-head record against Punjab. While CSK have 14 wins to their name, PBKS have emerged victorious nine times. MS Dhoni and co. defeated Punjab twice in IPL 2020.

IPL 2021: PBKS vs CSK Match Prediction

Vanakkam, @ChennaiIPL 🙏#SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #IPL2021 #PBKSvCSK @FabianAllen338 pic.twitter.com/aEenjD36ap

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 16, 2021

Although the Punjab Kings won their first game of the season, there are multiple aspects they would like to improve on. Foreign pace duo Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith were expensive against RR, and the PBKS pair would have to improve their length if they don’t want to leak runs at the Wankhede.

Nicholas Pooran got out for a rare duck, and the Trinidian power-hitter would be raring to go against CSK. It would be tempting for PBKS to play someone like Chris Jordan, considering they don’t have much batting after no.6. But that would mean dropping one of their foreign fast bowlers. PBKS are likely to go with an unchanged line-up against CSK.

KL Rahul loves playing at Wankhede and his stats back that up. In seven T20 innings at the venue, Rahul has scored 428 runs at an average of 71.33, while his strike rate read 152.85. Expect the PBKS skipper to be among the runs once again on Friday.

Sharpened up and ready to roll! 🎯#PBKSvCSK #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/lpodhmJUfm

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 15, 2021

CSK are aware of their problem areas, but unfortunately, they can’t do much about them. They need a foreign fast bowler to lead the pace attack at Wankhede. But with Jason Behrendorff and Lungi Ngidi unavailable due to quarantine rules, CSK are likely to go with the same line-up as well.

Faf du Plessis needs to fire at the top, considering CSK have Robin Uthappa waiting in the ranks. If the South African can provide his team with a good start, PBKS may be pegged back early on. Dwayne Bravo will be tasked with dismissing Chris Gayle, with the former getting rid of the southpaw seven times in T20s.

Although both teams have glaring holes in their playing XIs, PBKS will start the IPL 2021 clash as favorites, considering they have more match-winners in their side. With an all-star batting line-up and solid bowling options, Punjab should emerge victorious today.

CSK are bound to struggle at Wankhede, and they don’t have the personnel to paper over the cracks in their side. They will win matches through moments of brilliance this season, but the fixture against PBKS is unlikely to be one such game.

Prediction: PBKS to win