CSK and KKR will lock horns on Tuesday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. (Source: BCCI/IPL)
Amidst calls for Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) home games be shifted out of Chennai, the yellow brigade are all set to take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday. After a span of almost two years, this will be CSK’s first home match and unsurprisingly tickets have been sold out. Led by the charismatic MS Dhoni, CSK will hope for a repeat of the result they achieved in the IPL opener on Saturday and thus play spoilsport in KKR skipper, Dinesh Karthik’s homecoming. While Karthik’s new-found confidence is already reflecting on the field, Dhoni will have a look at some of the areas which might be a cause of concern for his side.
Whats in the kitty
CSK rolled back the years against Mumbai Indians (MI) and showed exactly why they are considered as one of the deadliest teams in the league. In match one of the tournament, at one point, it seemed like a positive result was a foregone conclusion but Dwayne Bravo played an unbelievable knock scoring 68 from 30 balls. However, the balance of the team is an aspect Dhoni will be looking at and make a few changes. Mark Wood instead of Shardul Thakur seems almost certain. Injured Kedar Jadhav will also make way for another player.
With the pitch conditions, suiting spinners, KKR will be banking on their tweakers to do the job. In Narine, Lynn, Andre Russell, Uthappa and Mitchell Johnson they have a group which can snatch the game away from the opposition in an instant. Hence, the fifth match of the IPL promises to be a humdinger.
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Limitations
Against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), KKR exposed some of their frailties. The bowling department was always considered as KKR’s strong point but veteran Vinay Kumar’s form with the ball seems to be a cause of worry. Chir Lynn also looks rusty and if Sunil Narine doesn’t click at the top then KKR will be put in a tight spot.
CSK’s lack of pace in the bowling unit is another aspect that KKR might exploit. With too many slower bowlers and spinners in the squad, their attack seems one dimensional at times. Mark Wood struggled on Saturday, leaking 49 runs in 4 overs. But backups including the likes of Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif do not have enough international experience and could be tested at this level.
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Dwayne Bravo scored 68 runs off 30 balls and will be the one to watch out for. (PTI Photo)
Players to watch out for
After a blistering fifty against RCB, Sunil Narine will definitely be the one to watch out. Andre Russel gave a glimpse of his striking power at the Eden Gardens and he too should be kept an eye upon. From the home team, Man of the match from the last encounter, Dwayne Bravo seems in good form. CSK’s core group including Ravindra Jadeja, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni had a mediocre outing in Mumbai and fireworks could be expected from them.
SQUAD:
Kolkata Knight Riders
Dinesh Karthik (C) (W), Piyush Chawla, Tom Curran, Cameron Delport, Ishank Jaggi, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav, Chris Lynn, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Sunil Narine, Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, Javon Searles, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh, Robin Uthappa, Vinay Kumar, Apporv Wankhade.
Chennai Super Kings
MS Dhoni (C) (W), KM Asif, Sam Billings, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Faf du Plessis, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Narayan Jagadeesan, Kshitiz Sharma, Monu Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Kanishk Seth, Karn Sharma, Dhruv Shorey, Shardul Thakur, Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Mark Wood.