CSK vs KKR Preview : Another interesting match on-board, Mighty CSK is going to take on KKR at their own den. Defending champions CSK will look to lock the horns against KKR in order to get early leads in the points table. Considering their better record against KKR at home CSK is looking to extend their home ground dominance. Led by another Chennai boy Dinesh Karthik KKR will look to turn the tables on their favor with the rocking win against the home side. With exciting players on both sides, there is plenty of room for excitement.
The atmosphere in M.A.Chidambaram stadium is upbeat as whistle Podu army is all set to welcome their team back to Chennai. As fans, we can expect another thrilling encounter from both the teams as both of them are looking to lift the trophy this time. Last season has not been the great outings for KKR as they failed to qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand mood in the CSK is upbeat as they are defending champions and are having a better home record against all teams.
Team Statistics
Based on the previous records CSK will head into this game with the better head-to-head record. In 17 encounters between them, CSK has enjoyed the supremacy by winning 10 out of 17. KKR has emerged victorious in 6 occasions and one time the match got abandoned due to rain. At home, CSK is the clear favorites as they won 5 out of the 7 games played at M.A.Chidambaram stadium in the past. CSK will look to continue the dominance by winning this game.
What’s in the Kitty
CSK looks like a complete and well-settled team in all departments. Their foreign and domestic recruits are performing consistently and are more dangerous side than in the paper. With Bravo, Watson, and Jadeja providing all-around abilities CSK is the team is the team to beat in this edition of the IPL.
KKR, on the other hand, is facing the lower middle order worries despite their captain Dinesh Karthik in red-hot form. With M.A Chidambaram pitch traditionally suits for spinners KKR will look for their spin trio of Narine, Kuldeep and Piyush Chawla to come handy against CSK’s strong batting lineup. KKR will also look their top order to fire against CSK’s world-class bowling attack in order to turn the match on their favor. Toss is also expected to play a huge role as team chasing will have a higher advantage due to dew factor.
Players to Watch Out for CSK
Dwayne Bravo
A complete T20 package Dwayne Bravo has been the pillar of success for CSK over the years. with stock deliveries like slow Yorkers and cross, seam cross has got6 enough firepower to trouble the batsmen. With his big-hitting ability and excellent fielding, capabilities will also give an edge over opponent teams. If he fires no one can stop CSK from winning the game.
Ravindra Jadeja
The big-hitting all-rounder has been virtually out of the Indian limited over plans but he has got everything to produce a match-winning performance with both bat and ball. With Chennai pitch traditionally suits for spinners he is expected to come in handy against rookie KKR Batting line-up.
Players to Watch Out for KKR
Kuldeep Yadav
Last year has been an excellent year for Kuldeep as he cemented his place in the Indian team and duo of him and Chahal are the major reasons for India’s success in limited over format. The last couple of seasons he has lived in the shadows of Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine and couldn’t be got enough opportunities to prove his mantle but this time he is expected to lead their bowling attack with his mystery spin.
Andre Russell
The hard-hitting West Indian has played a crucial role in the success of KKR team in past and he is expected to do the same this time also.
Prediction
With quality spinners at both the sides and the pitch that traditionally suits spinners, we can expect a close encounter between these two sides despite CSK emerged as favorites considering their home ground advantage.
Also Check: