Kolkata Knight Riders are languishing at the bottom half of the points table. They made a solid start to the tournament defeating SRH in their opening game. But since then KKR have flattered to deceive. They lost a match against MI from a winning position. KKR failed to score 31 runs in the last 5 overs with 7 wickets in hand. Their bizarre tactics cost them the game against RCB. They conceded 204 runs on the Chennai strip. The score eventually proved to be way above par. KKR will be happy to return to a flat wicket in Mumbai. Their power hitters will fancy this pitch more as compared to the one in Chennai. They will be up against CSK who are in some form. 

CSK on the other hand began the tournament on a slightly slippery note. They posted a good total against DC but failed to defend that. CSK came back strongly in the 2nd game and blew away PK. They picked up crucial wickets in the powerplay to dent PK’s innings. CSK put a dominant performance in the game against RR. They comfortably won against them and stormed to the 2nd spot in the points table. CSK boast of having the best Net Run Rate among teams currently. Their experienced outfit has mastered the conditions at Mumbai smartly. CSK are one of the most balanced teams in the IPL. They are on a roll and it will be difficult for KKR to stop them.

KKR vs CSK: Favourites?

KKR have won just 1 out of their 3 games. They are searching for a win that would galvanise the whole side. KKR will like to have more contributions from their senior professionals. Sunil Narine coming in place of Shakib Al Hasan will be the boost that KKR need. CSK on the other hand have found their mojo in the league. They have won back to back games after losing the first match. CSK have mastered conditions at the Wankhede. It will be difficult for KKR to stop CSK’s juggernaut.

Which players will be match-winners in this game?

Sunil Narine has a great match up against CSK and MS Dhoni especially. Dhoni has not hit a single boundary of Sunil Narine in the entire IPL. He has faced 63 balls and scored just 30 runs. If included Narine might be a great option.

Moeen Ali has had a great season so far for CSK this season. He will be the key for CSK.

X-factor player:

Nitish Rana scored a half-century the last time these two teams met. He will be keen to continue his good form.

Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Dhoni both the times last season. He will be KKR’s trump card in this game.

Ravindra Jadeja scored a last ball win for CSK last year against KKR. He is in great form. Jadeja will be CSK’s X-factor.

Probable Playing XI:

Kolkata Knight Riders predicted XI:

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna

Chennai Super Kings predicted XI:

Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK),  Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran,  Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar

What do stats say about KKR vs CSK?

KKR and CSK have played 23 IPL games against each other.

KKR has won 8 matches. CSK has won 14 games. 1 game ended up in a no-result.

KKR’s highest score against CSK is 202. CSK’s highest score against KKR is 205.

KKR’s lowest score against CSK is 108. CSK’s lowest score against KKR is 114.

Pitch:

Wankhede wicket has been a batting beauty. The initial few overs have been sticky and teams have found it difficult to counter the seam and swing on offer. If teams can manage the first powerplay without losing wickets upfront, then there is a huge score for taking.

Weather Report:

A high of 33 degrees and a low of 27 degrees is expected. There are no chances of rain. This being a day game team winning the toss will want to bat first.

Ground stats:

175 is the average score at this venue.

StumpsandBails verdict:

It is a battle for elusive points between KKR and CSK. CSK hold the edge against KKR in this game.