Kings XI Punjab's hopes of procuring themselves a ticket to the play-off rounds of the Indian Premier league rely greatly on how they emerge from Sunday's challenge against Chennai Super Kings who have already catapulted themselves to the advanced stages of the league.
A win alone won't be enough for a positive development in Punjab's position. They will have to win with a margin that swells their net run rate (NRR) so that the team has an advantage over the other sides with the same points on the tally.
Presently perched at a rather uncomfortable number-seven on the points table, Punjab's chances of advancing into the play-offs look unsurprisingly slim, considering how they began to falter despite a good start to the season.
led by Ravichandran Ashwin, Kings XI just haven't shown enough grit as a team to prevent the kind of final-round ordeal they are at present up against.
Kl Rahul has been their only batsman who has toiled tirelessly on the crease for the beleaguered side, contributing 652 runs to the tally. Moments of brilliance from other batsmen have been few and far between.
Take for instance Chris Gayle, who spelled supremacy during the early stages of the tournament, but eventually began to lean more towards inconsistent play.
Besides, Aaron Finch, Karun Nair, Marcus Stonis, Mayank Agarwal and Yuvraj Singh -- all have disappointed the Punjab faithful at crucial moments.
In the bowling department too, Andrew Tye (24 wickets) alone has been impressive alongside Afghan leggie Mujeeb Ur Rahman, whose injury has done much harm to the side's spirits.
Sunday's game will demand Punjab's bowling as well as batting to combine astonishingly to make ends meet.
As for Chennai Super Kings, who have already qualified for the play-offs, a top-two finish would be a tempting prize to claim.
MS Dhoni's side will have their radars ticking after Delhi Daredevils offered them a reality check by handing out a shock defeat on Friday.
Sitting at number-two with 16 points, a victory would be enough to consolidate CSK into the top two and propel them into a place in Qualifier 1 against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Mumbai on May 22.