It will be the final day of the league phase, On which Kings XI Punjab are set to host CSK in the penultimate (55th ) match of the stage.

Earlier, In the reverse fixture on April 6th, CSK emerged winners by a margin of 22 runs in defense of 160-3, As the Punjab based franchise fell short with just 138 for the loss of 5 wickets in spite of completing the full twenty overs ,Mainly due to the lethargic approach and lack of planning in the chase,by KL Rahul and Sarfaraz Khan . Those two actually displayed ODI cricket within the T20 format.

Having won 9 out of 13 matches, CSK is in prime form and with huge more boost after having thumped Delhi capitals by a huge 80 run margin on Wednesday. At one stage of the match, CSK were 7-1 in four overs. With delightful batting by Raina and Dhoni and fine bowling by Imran Tahir, CSK scored 179/4 and then bundled out Delhi for 99.

Kings XI, on the other hand, Are languishing at the bottom of the table with just 5 wins in 13 matches. Their recent fixture had them slumping down to a seven-wicket defeat vs KKR, even after scoring 183-6. While CSK is heavily reliant on Dhoni with the bat, Recent sparkles from Raina and Jadeja also becomes a helping hand! Yet, Inconsistency and lack of stability from the Faf, Rayudu, and Jadhav, is still a looming concern and it has to be corrected soon in order to gear up for the playoffs. With the ball, Imran Tahir and Deepak Chahar are making vital contributions, With 21 and 16 wickets in the season thus far.

KingsXI won 4 out of their first 6 fixtures but managed to secure only one victory in the next 7 matches! Except for Shami (17 in 13) and Ashwin (15 in 13 ) with the ball & Gayle (462 in 12) and Rahul (522 in 13 ) with the bat, No player in the side is consistent on the field! To add to such disarray, Too much of chopping and changing the XI has cut short the chances that the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Sam Curran might have had. Giving them long rope may have changed the fortunes of the unit, Considering the recent performances of those Young players

A victory in this game Would guarantee CSK a "Home match ", As the first qualifier match is scheduled to be played on Tuesday the 7th of May. Out of Kings XI's 5 victories so far, 4 have come at home and only one away from home at Jaipur vs Rajasthan Royals. It remains to be seen if they would look to end on a high note.

Keeping the match Versus KKR in mind Presumably, the curator would provide a similar kind of a wicket for the match vs CSK. Yet, Being a 4 P.M match, The conditions would become a catalyst in making visibly obvious differences when compared to the situations in a night game.

In the last 5 fixtures between the teams, CSK holds a 4-1 margin, Barring the 4 run defeat they suffered at Mohali in the last season wherein Dhoni's 44 balls 79 couldn't take CSK to victory.

On the whole, Even though it may become technically much inconsequential, Element of Morale does still matter a lot.

-Kumaran Kumanan

Images Courtesy : BCCI IPLT20.com