Last Updated on 11 months ago by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2021 Match 8: PBKS vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | PBKS vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Today | Chennai Super Kings vs Punjab Kings | Key Players | Mumbai Pitch Report

The new alias got the luck of fortune rolling for Punjab Kings as they got the first win of the season in a close-fought encounter against the Royals. Rahul’s Kings will now be up against Dhoni’s Super lions, Chennai Super Kings for the eighth match of IPL 2021 at Wankhede.

Stop him if you can! The Run Machine KL was on song in his 91 off 50 balls last game. Universe Boss Chris Gayle also whistled around the park scoring 40 off 28 balls until Hooda came and fired all cylinders in his dazzling knock of 64 off 28 balls. PBKS showcased batting outclass of the highest quality and put a total of 221 runs. Arshdeep singh was the pick of the bowler as he got his side a win on the last ball of the match and also got 3 scalps to his name.

Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, had a contrasting start to their IPL campaign as they lost both their openers early and their innings was rescued by Suresh Raina who scored 54 off 36 balls in his return to the IPL. Moeen Ali’s quickfire 36 off 24 balls, along with small contributions from Rayadu, Jadeja, and Curran helped them put a total of 188. While chasing, Delhi openers set the tone right from the word go and helped the Capitals to get the first win of the season. From the 3 wickets which fell in the second innings, Thakur got two.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Chennai Super Kings:

• Faf du Plessis – Faf did not last long in the opening encounter. Nevertheless, he has a remarkable record against Punjab Kings. In 10 matches he has 502 runs at an average of 55.8.
• Despite a duck in the first match, form is not a concern and he will be a quality option of C/VC in all leagues.
• Ruturaj Gaikwad –  Before gifting his wicket away, Ruturaj looked good in the eight balls he played. Against Kings, he made a 62 last time he played, which also happens to be the only innings against them.
• Suresh Raina – Raina has 814 runs against Kings XI at an average of 42.8 in 23 innings. He was mighty good in his last match but noticeably most of his runs came against spin and in the case of Kings he has to turn up against the sheer pace of Richardson, Meredith, and Shami which has been his struggle in the past. Considering this, risk him in 1-2 Grand League teams.
• Moeen Ali – Ali looked in sublime touch for his 36 off 24 balls. Against Kings, he has 2 wickets from his 2 innings and has not had much chance to bat so far.
• Sam Curran –  As usual, Sam Curran burst into the scene when CSK needed him most. Courtesy of his (34 off 15 balls), his side was able to set a target of 187 last game.  
• Dwayne Bravo – Bravo has performed against Kings with both bat and the ball. He has 206 runs from 11 innings at an average of 34.3. With the ball, he has 22 wickets from his 16 innings. 
• MS Dhoni – Captain Cool has 679 runs from his 31 innings against Kings. 
• Shardul Thakur – There is a strong love affair between Thakur and Kings. He was a part of their camp earlier in his career. After bench-warming for most of the season, Lord Shardul tweeted that it’s better to play a local club game than to bench, following upon that king management released him from the squad and in the subsequent season he was picked by CSK. In his 5 innings against Kings, he has 10 wickets and his innings have come bowling first.

Punjab Kings

• KL Rahul – As we wrote in our previous preview, KL Rahul wreaks havoc at this venue. And he did not disappoint us. Against Chennai, KL has 292 runs at an average of 36.5, which goes without saying that he will be a top captaincy choice. 
• Mayank Agarwal – Agarwal has been at par with Chennai in his 1st innings. In his 2nd innings, he just has 41 runs at an average of 6.8.
• Chris Gayle- Universe Boss! Against Chennai, he has 385 runs at an average of 29.6 from his 14 innings. 
• Nicholas Pooran – Pooran got out on a golden duck in the last match. Against Chennai, he has 71 runs 23.7 in his 3 innings.  Early on in his career, before he was part of IPL, he posted something on Twitter, which showed his dislike toward CSK. Might sound weird to some but player’s mindset plays their part in sports, he will be a differential choice of C/VC in Grand leagues.
• Mohammad Shami– Shami did have not the best record against CSK. In his 7 innings against them, he has 3 wickets. All his wickets have come bowling first. 
• Arshdeep Singh – Arshdeep was calm and composed with the ball in the first match and ended up with 3 wickets. This will be his first outing against CSK. 
• Both Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith picked up a wicket each on their IPL debut. The two Aussies are world-class quicks and we will see their best as the tournament progresses.

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Stats & Facts

• Overall Played 24 | CSK won 15 | Kings 9.
• CSK has a better record batting first against PBKS comparatively.
• Universe Boss became the first batter in the IPL to cross 350 sixes. The second-best is Mr. 360 with 237.
• Deepak Chahar has a substandard record against Kings. He has just got 2 wickets from his 7 innings against them. 

Predicted Playing XI

Punjab Kings: 1. KL Rahul (c & wk), 2. Mayank Agarwal, 3. Chris Gayle, 4. Nicholas Pooran, 5. Deepak Hooda, 6. Shahrukh Khan, 7. Jhye Richardson, 8. Murugan Ashwin, 9. Riley Meredith, 10. Mohammed Shami, 11. Arshdeep Singh

Chennai Super Kings: 1. Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2. Faf du Plessis, 3. Suresh Raina, 4. Ambati Rayudu, 5. Moeen Ali, 6. MS Dhoni (c & wk), 7. Ravindra Jadeja, 8. Sam Curran, 9. Dwayne Bravo, 10. Shardul Thakur, 11. Deepak Chahar

Wankhede Mumbai Pitch Report & Weather Conditions

A new deck with a tinge of grass was used in the match between DC and RR.

Simon Doull in his pitch report said “Looks like another great surface, really nice grass coverage on it. There’s plenty of runs on this pitch again.” However, he has advice for the bowlers – “You’ve got to get straight with the new ball try and not to let those runs go sideways. Limit the boundaries, make the ones and twos hard to get, you’ll come out on top.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

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Match Prediction

CSK is famous for bouncing back after a loss and with their good record against Kings, we back them to get the first win of the tournament. However, Wankhede favours the team batting second, so an interesting match awaits.

Written by Shekhar Singh. Follow Shekhar on Twitter today.