In the backdrop of M.S. Dhoni’s on-field argument with umpires, Chennai Super Kings will start as overwhelming favourites when they take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an IPL 2019 clash at the Eden Gardens on Sunday. Chennai went on to win the match against RR, their sixth victory in seven outings as they gunned down a modest 152 run target in a dramatic final over.
A sharp departure from his ‘captain cool’ image, it remains to be seen whether the first-of-its kind incident in Dhoni’s career ruffles his feathers or not. Sitting pretty at the top of the table, Chennai have so far ticked all the boxes with every passing game. Dhoni has led the team from the front, racking up 214 runs in five innings at an average of 107.
Coming to the hosts, KKR have lost two games in a row now, and there are chinks in the armour which skipper Dinesh Karthik needs to fix as soon as possible. In their first meeting, KKR were swept aside by Chennai and another defeat on Sunday would not help their cause as other teams are fast catching up on the second spot. KKR have injury and sickness issues too with Chris Lynn and Karthik suffering from flu, Sunil Narine injured and Andre Russell also picking up a niggle. Russell has been the team’s go-to man and his possible absence might hurt the home team big.
KKR lost to Delhi Capitals on Friday night with Shikhar Dhawan and Rishabh Pant making short work of their bowlers. One good sign is Shubman Gill hitting form after he was asked to open the batting. Now it remains to be seen whether the 19-year-old is given another shot at his favoured position or not with the team having plenty of them to stake a claim.
Expected playing 11
Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Prasidh Krishna.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, Shardul Thakur.
FPJ’s dream 11: Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shubman Gill, Prasidh Krishna, Robin Uthappa.