Overview
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have had a successful run in the IPL, winning their last two home games against Mumbai and Delhi, to climb to second spot in the league table. They now play their third game in nine days at Chepauk, their home ground, and are in a strong position to potentially move to the top of the table before Gujarat’s penultimate game. If they finish in the top four, they will be guaranteed a home play-off game due to the IPL scheduling both the first Qualifier and the Eliminator in Chennai.
However, CSK have experienced some bowling vulnerabilities this year, failing to defend 200 against Punjab on their own turf. On the other hand, their batting unit has been performing exceptionally well, producing a run rate of 9.32 in 2023. Nevertheless, the major contributions have come from only four Chennai batters who have scored a combined total of 12 half-centuries. MS Dhoni, the captain, has also done his part, scoring 96 runs at a strike rate of 200.
Kolkata Knight Riders, on the other hand, will struggled to qualify for the playoffs this year. Limited and inconsistent impact with the bat from Andre Russell and Rahmanullah Gurbaz have not helped their chances, although the mid-season acquisition of Jason Roy has been a good one. Kolkata will have to depend on other results falling their way even if they win their final two games against Chennai and Lucknow.
They have taken five or more wickets in a game only five times this season, making them one of the least-effective bowling sides. Their standout spin pairing of Suyash Sharma and Varun Chakravarthy has taken 27 of their 63 wickets, while Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have struggled against opposition top orders. They will have to produce something special to prevent Kolkata from falling behind early in their upcoming matches.
Also Read: Rohit and Dhoni Keep Raising the Captaincy Bar
Venue and time
MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. 7:30 PM
Conditions and toss
It is going to be a hot and humid evening in Chennai with the temperature hovering around 40C. The team winning the toss should ideally opt to chase.
Head-to-Head
IPL has witnessed 28 matches between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. Chennai have won 18 of those. Kolkata have managed to win just nine games.
Likely Playing XIs and Impact Players
Chennai Super Kings may bring in Ambati Rayudu as their Impact Player, whereas Kolkata Knight Riders could utilise Suyash in that role.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (C, WK), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana.
Kolkata Knight Riders: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (C), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Anukul Roy.