New Chandigarh, April 8 (NationPress) Punjab Kings (PBKS) won the toss and chose to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Match 22 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Following two victories at the start of the season, Punjab faced a reality check with a significant 50-run loss against Rajasthan Royals in their last match. A mid-innings collapse led to their first defeat in the Ponting-Iyer era, yet the team decided to field an unchanged lineup.

Captain Shreyas Iyer expressed confidence in his bowling unit to secure a victory in the chase and emphasized utilizing the pitch effectively.

“We are choosing to bat first as we discussed our batting lineup and the necessity to capitalize on it. The dew factor was minimal in the last match, but that's beyond our control; we need to trust our strengths,” Iyer stated during the presentation.

“We are sticking with the same squad. Our bowling attack is strong, but it’s crucial to deploy them wisely in specific situations. Credit goes to the Rajasthan batsmen for their performance in the last game,” he added.

Conversely, the Chennai franchise is struggling in ninth place, having failed to successfully chase targets in their last three matches. Despite a solid top-order, concerns persist regarding their batting depth, leaving fans questioning their ability to pursue large totals.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad addressed criticism regarding his position in the batting order, stating that batting at No. 3 enhances the team's balance.

“We also planned to bat first, considering the dry pitch and new conditions. We need to adapt quickly. While our bowling has been decent, we’ve conceded over 15 runs an over on two occasions. We aim to rectify that,” Gaikwad remarked.

“Improving our fielding is essential. With the same team, me batting at three offers better balance, a decision made during the auction. We hope our openers perform well today. We have often lagged in the powerplay, so it’s about going out and enjoying the game,” he concluded.

Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), R. Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed

Impact subs: Shivam Dube, Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton

Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact subs: Suryansh Shedge, Yash Thakur, Praveen Dubey, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vyshak Vijaykumar