IPL 2021: CSK vs PBKS: Toss Report: KLRahul elects to chase against Chennai in last league game

Dubai, Oct 7: Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul on Thursday (October 7) won the toss and invited Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni to bat first in the match 53 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 here at Dubai Cricket Stadium.

This is the last league match of the two teams and both have their reasons for winning it. While CSK - who are already in the playoffs - are looking to get to the winning ways, PBKS - out of the playoffs race - will aim to finish the season on a winning note.

Traditionally, Chennai enjoy a better win record over Punjab. In their last five meetings, the Super Kings have been the overwhelming favourites, having won four out of their five clashes. In the reverse fixture this season, Chennai notched up a comfortable win over Punjab, defeating KL Rahul's side by six wickets with 26 balls to spare.

After winning the toss, KL Rahul said, "We will bowl first. That is one of the reasons why we are bowling first as we can have a look at the permutations and combinations to look at. The middle-order has tried their best and hasn't delivered at times. They are all quality players and performed for their respective teams. Just one change. Chris Jordan comes in for Nicholas Pooran."

CSK captain MS Dhoni said: "It is tough to maintain fitness. Whenever we came back for the second leg, we knew we will have back to back games. We had three games in 5 days. No, we are playing with the same XI. The heat is a factor. The wicket looks good."

Playing XIs:

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh.

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.