Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will be hoping to make up for the loss of their frontline bowlers, and take forward the ‘bowling’ positives from their last fixture when they take on a struggling bottom-placed Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

The Chennai Super Kings currently find themselves at the fourth spot with 12 points on the IPL 2024 points table after registering six wins from 11 outings, and a win against the Titans will not only bolster their chances to be in the reckoning for the playoffs but can also dismantle Sunrisers Hyderabad on the third position, thanks to a superior net run rate. The CSK boasts of a NRR of +0.700 against SRH’s +0.406.

Among the three teams (CSK, Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants) stuck on 12 points, only CSK (+0.700) enjoys a positive net run-rate. However, a defeat against the Titans could really dent Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team’s chances.

Having said that, the Yellow Brigade will take a lot of heart from their previous fixture against the Punjab Kings in Dharmsala, when they banked on a second-sting attack to defend 167 and get back to winning mode.

In the absence of Deepak Chahar and Matheesha Pathirana, both ruled out of the tournament due to injuries, and Bangladesh’s lead pacer Mustafizur Rahman back on national duty, the CSK bowling attack did look vulnerable but Simarjeet Singh’s inclusion as an impact sub against PBKS’ injected fresh energy into the attack.

Singh clocked 140-plus consistently and returned with 2/16 from his three overs for an impressive debut in CSK colors. While Singh will expect to do an encore against Titans, Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande will be expected to lead the unit.

A lot will depend on how the three CSK spinners — Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner and Moeen Ali bowl on a two-paced track.

Skipper Gaikwad has marshalled his batting resources well, and led from the front. He has been their top run-getter with 541 runs from 11 innings, just one run away from Virat Kohli in the race for the Orange Cap.

Daryl Mitchell was also among runs in a 19-ball 30 against PBKS in their last match as they would just hope that Shivam Dube regains his form after capping successive golden ducks. The middle and lower order batters including Thakur and Jadeja have shown their prowess with the willow and can raise their hands if the situation demands.

On the other hand, Titans, who have already lost seven in the tournament so far do still have an outside chance but with a maximum tally of 14 points, it would be very difficult for the Shubman Gill-led side to get into the top four. The morale of the side is already down after having managed just a solitary win from their last five matches and has struggled in all departments of the game.

In the absence of star pacer Mohammed Shami, their bowling has taken a big hit with the likes of Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Josh Little struggling to consistently find their rhythm, and the Afghan spin duo of Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed too seemed less effective.

The batting department has also been overly dependent on skipper Shubman Gill, and as a result of his three single digit scores and a highest of 35 in his last five outings, the side has struggled to put sizeable totals and even chase totals. B Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan and David Miller have also been inconsistent, leaving the side in a precarious position in the 2024 season.