The Punjab Kings will take on four-time champions Chennai Super Kings in their Tata Indian Premier League 2022 match on Sunday, 7.30 PM at Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium.

The match with the IPL 2022 winners will be crucial for the Punjab Kings, as they aim at bouncing back to winning ways after a disheartening defeat in their second match of the league on Friday.

Below are a few noteworthy points to keep in mind before the big encounter between the Kings:

Same opponent, similar results

The Chennai Super Kings began their title defence with a six wicket loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders, defending a 132-run target at Wankhede. Despite a vintage MS Dhoni knock of 50* (38), there was only so much the team could do before KKR eventually chased down the total.

The most recent game for Punjab Kings was also against KKR, with the Kings setting a target of 138 runs for KKR to chase down. This, too, ended in a six-wicket win for KKR. With this recent history, it will be interesting to see how the match between CSK and PBKS pans out on Sunday night.

CSK in search of their first win

Despite being the defending champions, the Chennai Super Kings are not in the best form, losing both the matches they have played so far. In fact, this is the first time the Men in Yellow have lost both of their first two games of an IPL season. They will be desperate to shed off this losing streak.

Bairstow out of quarantine

English batter Jonny Bairstow will be out of quarantine only on Sunday morning, having joined the bubble late after being called on national duty. However, since he would have not participated in any practice sessions, it remains to be seen if Bairstow will feature in the playing XI for the big game.

Brabourne Stadium - nature of the pitch and other factors

The Brabourne stadium is a batting-friendly pitch while also offering some slow turn that the spinners can take advantage of, this making it a great contest between the bat and the ball. The average first innings score here is 157, while the average second innings score at this ground is 147.

It was here that the Chennai Super Kings won the 2014 Eliminator against home team Mumbai Indians, chasing down a 174-run target with ease, winning by seven wickets and an over to spare. It will be interesting to see PBKS put a stop to a team with this history at this pitch.

Both the Punjab Kings and the Chennai Super Kings will be equally hungry for a win at the encounter, making it a spicy one. Tune in on Sunday, 7.30 PM, to watch this clash.