Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will be focussing on containing the big-hitting batsman Andre Russell when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders in an IPL match here on Tuesday.In a clash between two teams with a battery of quality spinners, a batsman of Russell’s calibre may just prove to be the difference between the two sides.Both the teams have four wins each and have been in pretty impressive form. Both will be eyeing victory to go at the top of the points table.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led CSK, which beat Kings XI Punjab here on Saturday rather convincingly, will be wary of the Dinesh Karthik’s KKR.The Knight Riders are also coming off an all-round clinical win over Rajasthan Royals on Sunday night.With two teams having an array of top-notch spinners, the onus would be on the batsmen to counter them, given the nature of the pitch at MA Chidambaram stadium.

Here’s a look at the top five player battles to watch out for in the match between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders.

Ambati Rayudu vs Piyush Chawla

It will be interesting to see how Amabti Rayudu plans his innings against Piyush Chawla. The CSK batsman has struggled to get going against the spinner in the IPL. He has scored 70 runs off 41 balls, but has been dismissed four times by the Chawla in the cash-rich league. Rayudu bats at a high strike-rate against the spinner, but Chawla has managed to dismiss him time and time again.

MS Dhoni vs Kuldeep Yadav

Ever since MS Dhoni has given up captaincy, he has been guiding India’s premier leg-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal from behind the stumps. This time the student will face his master in their next IPL match. Dhoni has batted at a high strike-rate of 145.83, but has been dismissed twice by the spinner in the IPL.

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Shane Watson vs Sunil Narine

The curator in Chennai will have to ensure that the pitch is less spin friendly than usual, otherwise the KKR spinners are going to wreak havoc in their next match. Sunil Narine will fancy his chances against Watson, since he has taken the Australian’s wicket three times in 26 balls in the IPL. Watson has managed a meagre strike-rate of 96.15 against Narine.

Andre Russell vs Imran Tahir

The Chennai Super Kings will be banking on Imran Tahir to stop Andre Russell in Chennai. The West Indian has batted at a strike-rate of 81.82 against the South African and has been dismissed once by the spinner in the IPL. However, Russell has faced only 11 deliveries from Tahir in the competition. It will be interesting to see how Russell tackles Tahir in Chennai.

Robin Uthappa vs Ravindra Jadeja

Robin Uthappa hasn’t had a great record against Ravindra Jadeja in the IPL. The KKR batsman has batted at a strike-rate of 115.38 against the spinner and has been dismissed thrice in the IPL. Uthappa, who showed good form against the Rajasthan Royals, will be certainly looking to improve his record against Jadeja.

First Published: Apr 08, 2019 19:34 IST