Chennai, May 10 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings pacer and Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 Purple Cap holder Anshul Kamboj expressed confidence in his side’s ability to chase down Lucknow Super Giants’ total of 203, describing the pitch at Chepauk as ‘slightly slow but with good bounce.’

“It’s quite a good wicket. It’s a slightly slow wicket, but the bounce is good, and the ball is coming on nicely, so we can chase this. It definitely feels like it will play similarly throughout the innings. It won’t become much slower because the bounce is good, so there should not be too much difficulty. I think this score is chaseable,” Kamboj said to broadcasters at the innings break.

LSG had raced away in the Power-play courtesy Josh Inglis’s explosive 85 off 33 balls, but CSK’s bowlers pulled things back in the middle overs. Noor Ahmad (1-24) and Jamie Overton (3-36) applied the brakes, while Kamboj, despite being expensive, took out Mitchell Marsh and Himmat Singh to take his IPL 2026 wickets tally to 19 scalps in 11 games at an average of 19.21 and an economy rate of 9.20.

Reflecting on the turnaround by CSK bowlers in the middle overs, Kamboj said, “Yes, it was a good comeback. When you go for runs in the first five overs, then maintaining control in the remaining phases and coming back well is important.”

The right-arm pacer also explained his thought process when coming from around the wicket to right-handed batters. “That is genuinely my thinking. That helps me keep in mind whether the batter is moving around the crease.”

CSK, the five-time champions, have not successfully chased a target in excess of 180 in the IPL since 2019. But a successful pursuit of it would take them to 12 points and strengthen their push for a playoff spot.

–IANS

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