MS Dhoni and KL Rahul
Going against the tide, Kings XI Punjab captain KL Rahul opted to bat first at the Dubai International Stadium against Chennai Super Kings after winning the toss. So far, all seven games at Dubai International Stadium have been won by the team batting first.
"We'll bat first. Looks a pretty good wicket, hope it gets a little slower too, so that our bowlers can benefit. If we put a big total, it will put some pressure on them. Lots of positives to think of and be proud of. It can all change quickly. We need to get the momentum," Rahul said.
KXIP made three changes to their playing XI, the most notable being the inclusion of death-over specialist Chris Jordan to correct their numbers in the slog overs where they have conceded runs at 15.33 an over, the worst by any team this season.
"We have three changes. Karun, Gowtham, Neesham are out. Mandeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Jordan are in," said Rahul.
CSK, on the other hand, have fielded an unchanged side as captain MS Dhoni feels that his side looks "balanced".
"I think we have played decent cricket. We need to get a good start and we need to get better at the death. It's easier to break things into smaller stuff. We are playing with the same team, happy with the same combination. The side looks balanced and it looks good. We wanted to bat first, but happy to bat second. We are the most experienced team when it comes to chasing. The morale is high, that's a good thing. I feel the support staff and the players' attitude matters, it makes the job easy for us when the dressing room atmosphere is happy," said Dhoni.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, MS Dhoni(w/c), Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Glenn Maxwell, Sarfaraz Khan, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Sheldon Cottrell
Both teams have managed only one victory so far after four matches. Chennai Super Kings started off their journey with a win against the defending champions in Abu Dhabi before suffering three defeats in a row for the first time since 2014. Kings XI lost their opener via Super Over to Delhi Capitals, then bounced back to defeat RCB in Dubai before suffering two consecutive losses.
