Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be glad to come back home in what will be a start of a three-match home run in the 2024 edition of the IPL. The Super Kings have been quite contrasting as far as their performances are concerned at home and away. The visiting teams don't stand a chance while playing at Chepauk and CSK have looked like a shadow of themselves playing outside having won just one of the four encounters away.
The loss against the Lucknow Super Giants was another reminder of how confused the team has looked while playing outside home. However, since both teams are playing each other once again in such a proximity, they will be aware of each other's strengths and weaknesses and CSK could really challenge the Super Giants on slow and tricky surfaces. LSG too are immune to such surfaces, given they played on similar wickets last year at home and will be keen to do a double over the five-time champions.
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai pitch report
The surfaces in Chennai have been interesting in the 2024 edition of the IPL thus far. There was a belter where 174 was chased down easily and CSK almost scored 200 while batting first in another. In the other game against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the visiting batters, especially, failed to read the surface properly and found really hard to time the ball. With the increasing heat and the surfaces getting tired game by game, expect another slower wicket for the game against Lucknow on Tuesday.
The surface has enough bounce but the patchy and drier nature will make the ball turn and grip for the spinners. LSG might be tempted to play a third spinner apart from Krunal Pandya and Ravi Bishnoi, however, the threat of Shivam Dube remains. However, LSG did have their plans sorted against him in the last game on Friday and will hope that they can get work it out at Chepauk as well. The score of 160-170 could be a tricky chase here but the captain winning the toss would want to bowl first because of the lack of clarity of what a good score is.
