Three wins on the trot and looking good for a few more, Chennai Super Kings’ push for a playoffs berth was getting just the right kind of momentum. On Friday, they face Lucknow Super Giants, a team already eliminated from the race, and so the stage was perfectly set for Chennai.
However, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side has slipped into a crisis, with Jamie Overton being ruled out of the remaining matches with a thigh injury. The England all-rounder had been bowling well, having taken 14 wickets from 10 games. But now, Chennai will have to redraw strategies.
The five-time champions have signed South African all-rounder Dian Forrester as a replacement.
Chennai’s batting has seen a resurgence to relevance with Urvil Patel slamming the joint-fastest IPL fifty the other day. Sanju Samson and Gaikwad, though not in
red-hot form, are not out of it either.
Lucknow, though they will be playing at home, will need to fish for motivation. They have had a nightmarish season, with captain Rishabh Pant being the biggest
disappointment. But with nothing to lose, they might surprise Chennai.