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IPL 2022 | I don't think they have 'an impact player'- Gavaskar on Punjab Kings

The former Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar has raised his doubts over the ability of the Punjab Kings to lift the trophy this time ahead of the IPL 2022, which starts from today. During his conversation with Sports Tak, the legendary ex-cricketer stated that the Punjab Kings might not add their maiden IPL title into their trophy cabinet this time, as they lack impactful players who can maintain the consistent cycle of winning for them.


However, Gavaskar believes that the team might benefit from this as there would be no vast expectations associated with its players, enabling them to play with a 'nothing to lose' attitude throughout the tournament. Therefore, the ex-Indian captain reckoned that although the Punjab Kings might surprise some big teams in the mega event, but they won't go the distance.


"Punjab Kings is one of those teams that haven't managed to win the IPL. I don't think they have an impact player in their squad this time," Gavaskar said. "But this can benefit the team as well. When there are very low expectations, there is very less pressure, and when the pressure is less, the players are freer in their approach. 


In this aspect, I think Punjab Kings can surprise a few. Will they win the trophy? I doubt that. See, this is T20 format, and you have to be in that consistent cycle of winning," he further added. 


Punjab Kings bought players like Shikhar Dhawan, Shahrukh Khan, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Kagiso Rabada, etc., in the IPL mega auction 2022. Further, they have excellent Indian players like Mayank Agarwal, Rahul Chahar and Arshdeep Singh, who can change the course of the match by their extraordinary individual performances. Therefore, Gavaskar's statement of PBKS lacking impact players hasn't been received gleefully by most of the cricket fans. 


Led by Mayank Agarwal, PBKS will kick start its campaign by facing RCB in the 3rd match of the tournament on 27th March.

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IPL 2022 | Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders | Match 1 - Preview, Predictions, Probable XI, Fantasy XI

And, so here we are! Finally, after weeks of anticipation, analysis, predictions etc., the biggest party of the summer- the Indian Premier League (IPL) - will commence on Saturday (March 26), where defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK)lock horns with last years' runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders at the iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Saturday's game will usher a new era for CSK and IPL, as it will be the first that MS Dhoni will not lead the 'Yellow Army'. The 2022 season is expected to be Dhoni's swan song from the lucrative T20 league, but no one in their wildest dreams would have thought he won't be leading his beloved franchise for one final time this year. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Ravindra Jadeja has been picked as Dhoni's successor, and he will be making his captaincy debut on Saturday. It won't be an easy task for Jadeja, though he has such humongous shoes to fill, plus the fact that he has never captained a T20 side before. But, the good thing is that he will have the presence of Dhoni on the field for guidance. Speaking of CSK's squad, the defending champions retained most of their core during the mega-auction. They have replaced Faf du Plessis with another overseas opener in Devon Conway. Still, their top-5 remains the same in the form of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, followed by MSD and all-rounders like Jadeja and Dwayne Bravo. Moeen Ali will miss the first game as he has just arrived in the country. However, Shivam Dube is expected to make it to starting XI, while Adam Milne and Tushar Deshpande are likely to spearhead the pace department. Death bowling is a matter of concern for CSK, and with Chris Jordan being not the force he once used to be, the onus will once again be on Bravo (albeit he's a pale shadow of himself) to step up to the party. It will also be interesting to see if CSK take a punt on rookie seam-bowling all-rounder in the form of Rajvardhan Hangargekar. Like the last season, CSK has a deep batting line-up and multi skill set of cricketers. Also, with Moeen not available for the first game, CSK may be tempted to slot in Mahesh Theekshana in the playing XI to bolster their spin department. As for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), they will also kickstart a new era under the leadership of Shreyas Iyer. KKR's top-4 is slated to be Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Ajinkya Rahane and skipper Iyer, who more or less operate at the same tempo. So, it will be interesting to see if they go with this top-4 or will they use Sunil Narine as a pinch-hitter during the powerplay. Venkatesh had a brilliant season last year, and the onus will again be on him to provide explosive starts to his side. Venky Iyer's strike rate dips after the powerplay, and that's where the likes of Nitish Rana and Shreyas, a renowned spin-basher, will come in handy. Last season, KKR struggled with their middle-order batting, and this time, the onus will be on Shreyas, Sam Billings and Andre Russell to ensure it doesn't happen again. With Pat Cummins unavailable for the first few games, Tim Southee would get a place in the starting XI. He, alongside Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi, are set to spearhead the fast bowling unit. One of KKR's major issues with the ball in the past few seasons is their inability to pick wickets in the power play consistently. But, that shouldn't be an issue this time, given the fact that Umesh and Southee are proven power play specialists. That said, their death bowling still leaves a lot to be desired, and it's expected that they will have to turn to Russell and Narine to do the dirty work. Match Details: Date - 26th March 2022 Time - 07:30 PM IST Venue - Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai Broadcast - Star Sports, Disney Hotstar Pitch Report: The pitch at Wankhede has traditionally been a safe haven for batters. True bounce and pace off the surface make for delightful stroke-making and short dimensions of the ground, making it even easier for batters. Having said that, fast bowlers also get a fair share of assistance due to the pace in the pitch. Moreover, the dew factor is immense here, so chasing has always been a go-to option for teams. Key Stats: - CSK boast of an 18-8 lead over KKR in head-to-head encounters. At Wankhede, it's 1-0 in favor of CSK. Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Devon Conway, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja(c), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner, Tushar Deshpande, Hari Nishanth, N Jagadeesan, Subhranshu Senapati, Prashant Solanki, Mukesh Choudhary, KM Asif, Simarjeet Singh, Bhagath Varma Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer(c), Sam Billings(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Chamika Karunaratne, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy, Umesh Yadav, Rasikh Salam, Mohammad Nabi, Sheldon Jackson, Baba Indrajith, Rinku Singh, Anukul Roy, Pratham Singh, Abhijeet Tomar, Aman Hakim Khan, Tim Southee, Ashok Sharma, Ramesh Kumar Probable Playing XI: Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Shivam Dube, Dwayne Bravo, Tushar Deshpande, Chris Jordan / Maheesh Theekshana, Adam Milne Kolkata Knight Riders: Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer (c), Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Shivam Mavi, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy CE Fantasy XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell, MS Dhoni, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Varun Chakravarthy, Adam Milne Captain: Ravindra Jadeja Vice-captain: Andre Russell