CSK Vs KKR, Match Preview
Two teams in red-hot form, beating the same opponents take each other on. Chennai Super Kings have a foot in the playoffs, and have fought well in both games. They started bad against Mumbai, but put enough on the board to win. There was a hundred run partnership against them in Bangalore, but some magnificent death bowling kept Bangalore to a reasonable score.
Kolkata didn’t do very well in the first leg, but are bossing the second leg, as they won both games clinically. They have stormed into fourth place, and are serious contenders for the playoffs.
The top-order is doing a good job for KKR. Venkatesh Iyer is in a dream run, and the newcomer is finding ways to score quickly in each game. He has good support from Gill, and Tripathi has been brilliant at three. The bowling is doing a good job, with Narine and Chakravarthy choking the batters. Ferguson is using his pace well, and is a dangerous prospect against someone like Raina.
CSK hasn’t got too much to worry about. They’ve had different facets firing in both games, and the players seem good. Raina and Dhoni got a hit in the middle against Bangalore, and both looked solid, giving the batting line-up some more strength. The bowling is good, with Bravo finding some strong mojo in the death.
CSK Vs KKR, Team News
CSK are likely to go with an unchanged side. They have Sam Curran on the bench, and he has been a crucial player for CSK in recent times. Despite his presence, they will likely stick to the current combination. The batting is deep, and CSK has a handful of options with the ball.
KKR are also likely to stick with the same side. The bowling is doing well, and they’ve also got talent like Shakib on the side. They may play around with Narine’s batting position, but the top-order hasn’t given Kolkata much of a chance to do so. The top-order has been brilliant, and the middle-order didn’t have much to do so far.
CSK Vs KKR, Predicted XIs
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.
CSK Vs KKR, Players to Watch out for
Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer has found his way into the IPL, and is making his chances count well. He got Kolkata off to strong starts in two games, and looks like a very positive Cricketer. The runs are flowing well from his bat, and he could be key to stopping the Chennai Super Kings.
Dwayne Bravo
Dwayne Bravo is back with his variations. Unlike last season, when he didn’t reach high speeds, Bravo is now getting to the 130 mark again, making his slower balls more effective. He took wickets in both games, at the death, but has been bowling through the innings this season. He is bowling in shorter spells, keeping him fresh for his overs. With a lot of variations up his sleeve, Bravo could enjoy the matchup against Russell.
CSK Vs KKR, Pitch Conditions
The Abu Dhabi surface has been balanced so far. Scores haven’t gone too high, and targets have been defendable. There isn’t much dew to worry about, and being a four’o’clock game, the surface could dry up and slow down as the game goes on. Batting first is a better option, as the heat could get tough on the fielding side. With the sun baking the surface, spin is expected in the second half, making things tougher for the side batting second.
