"Jonny Bairstow will be my first man to watch out for" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings players in focus in IPL 2024 clash vs CSK

Aakash Chopra expects Punjab Kings (PBKS) opener Jonny Bairstow to take advantage of the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) new-ball issues in their IPL 2024 clash in Dharamsala on Sunday, May 5.

With eight points from 10 games, PBKS are placed eighth on the points table. A win today will help them join CSK and the Delhi Capitals (DC) on 10 points and boost their chances of qualifying for the playoffs.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra chose Bairstow as the first Punjab Kings player to watch out for in Sunday's first game.

"The first player to focus on is Jonny Bairstow. He is batting extremely well. The new ball is an area of concern at the moment if you see it from the Chennai Super Kings' viewpoint. (Stephen) Fleming said Deepak Chahar's injury is not looking good. Tushar Deshpande didn't play in the last match. Mustafizur (Rahman) is not available now," he reasoned (2:25).

"You might see Mukesh Choudhary playing because Shardul Thakur was looking very ordinary when he was bowling with the new ball. (Matheesha) Pathirana doesn't bowl with the new ball. So Jonny Bairstow will be my first man to watch out for because he has power and this ground will suit him. It's a small ground with a good pitch and decent bounce. The ball will travel far," the former India opener added.

With 250 runs at a strike rate of 165.56 in eight innings, Bairstow is the Punjab Kings' second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2024. Only Shashank Singh (288) has scored more runs for the franchise this season.

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"My focus will be on both of them" - Aakash Chopra on Punjab Kings' Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh

Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh have played a few crucial knocks for the Punjab Kings. [P/C: iplt20.com]

Aakash Chopra picked Ashutosh Sharma and Shashank Singh as the other two Punjab Kings batters in focus against the Chennai Super Kings.

"I have kept two players at No. 2 - Ashutosh and Shashank. My focus will be on both of them. They are courageous but more importantly cricketing smarts, power in their arms, and basic hitting technique is top-class," he said (3:10).

The cricketer-turned-commentator chose Kagiso Rabada as the PBKS bowler to watch out for in Sunday's game.

"The third player of this team I am focusing on is Kagiso Rabada. He picked up two wickets in the last match and was also economical. Arshdeep (Singh) has to fire eventually but he hasn't been able to do that well so far. If Rabada bowls well, he can trouble the batters. Will he be able to get Ruturaj (Gaikwad) out? That's a big question," Chopra noted.

Rabada has picked up 11 wickets at an economy rate of 8.92 in 10 innings in IPL 2024. He registered figures of 1/23 in four overs in the reverse fixture between the two sides in Chennai four days ago.