After ending its three-match losing streak, Chennai Super Kings will look to continue the momentum against a confused Kolkata Knight Riders that is not yet firing on all cylinders, at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
The build-up
So far both sides have won two games though KKR has played one game less so far.
For CSK, Shane Watson’s return to form in the last game against Kings XI Punjab should give the side hope. It is still early to decode if the men in yellow are back to their best. The KKR bowling attack is better than what it faced against Punjab.
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On the other hand, KKR too is not a well-settled side so far. The batting form of Dinesh Karthik has been worrying and there are questions around his captaincy as well. Pat Cummins, who went wicketless for 49 runs against Delhi Capitals, will be keen on turning the tide.
The key men
Faf du Plessis has been the in-form batsman for CSK and will be the key around which its batting will revolve. A good Watson-du Plessis start can change things for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Co.
Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson after the 10-wicket victory over Kings XI Punjab. – BCCI/IPL
One major issue for KKR has been the batting order. Sunil Narine as an opener is an experiment that has run its course and the team management needs to think fresh and maybe consider Rahul Tripathi. Similarly, Eoin Morgan will have to bat up the order.
Match details
Head to head: CSK: 14; KKR: 8; NR: 1
Match No 21
Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7.30 pm
Squads
Chennai Super Kings: Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Kedar Jadhav, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Lungi Ngidi, Karn Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur, Monu Kumar, Mitchell Santner, R. Sai Kishore, N Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KM Asif
Kolkata Knight Riders: Dinesh Karthik (C), Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Rinku Singh, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Siddhesh Lad, Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Eoin Morgan, Varun Chakravarthy, Tom Banton, Rahul Tripathi, Chris Green, M Siddharth, Nikhil Naik, Ali Khan.
