IPL 2021 : KKR V CSK Match Preview & Probable XIs

KKR V CSK – HEAD TO HEAD : 22 MATCHES

KKR WON : 8, CSK WON : 14

Kolkata Knight Riders ended their Chennai leg with just one win from 3 matches. They now play their next two matches in Mumbai and would look to start fresh on an entirely different pitch. CSK come into this match on the back of two comprehensive wins. Nearly everyone has stepped up on different occasions for them and delivered.

KKR had to face a 38 run defeat at the hands of RCB in their previous fixture.  They were outplayed in all the aspects of the game. Certainly, the conditions at Chepauk did not suit them. Their middle order consisting of Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell would fancy their chances on the batting beauty at Wankhede. There’s also a possibility of Sunil Narine making his comeback into the team. This would provide more all-round stability to their side.

CSK, on the other hand, looked quite settled in their previous two matches. Moeen Ali has been absolutely magnificent for them with both bat and ball. He has made the No.3 spot his own. His bowling figures read 3/7 in 3 overs  in the previous match against the Royals. CSK’s decision of buying him at the auctions has been doing wonders for them. Apart from him, Sam Curran too has been really good with his all-round performances. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s form has been a concern for CSK and with Robin Uthappa in their ranks, there’s a possibility of a change at the top of the order for the Super Kings.

Captain Morgan has started with the spin in all the matches they have played till now. We have seen that the pitch at Mumbai has some purchase for the seamers at the start of the innings and this could lead to a possibility of inclusion of Lockie Ferguson in the playing XI. Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson bowling in tandem can be a lethal combination. CSK might bring in Lungi Ngidi in place of Dwayne Bravo for the same reasons.

 It is expected to be another high scoring encounter at the Wankhede Stadium. Teams would definitely want to chase here and toss can once again play a crucial role.

Both Eoin Morgan and MS Dhoni are known for their tactics and it would be interesting to see who comes out on top in this exciting battle.

Probable XIs :

KKR :  Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (C), Shakib Al Hasan/Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

CSK :  Ruturaj Gaikwad/Robin Uthappa, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C), Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo/Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar