Inconsistency has been KKR’s bane in IPL 2020, but now the time has come from where they cannot slip. In their previous game, they put up a shoddy batting show against Kings XI Punjab. Shubman Gill got a fifty, but he again slowed down after a swift start. Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi and Dinesh Karthik have all been inconsistent, shining brightly in only a couple of matches. Skipper Eoin Morgan has almost single-handedly carried the batting along.
In the bowling, leg-spinner Varun Chakravarthy has stood out with his wicket-taking skills, and has even been rewarded with a spot in the T20 squad for the tour of Australia. Pacer Pat Cummins has not quite delivered to potential while Prasidh Krishna too has had an up and down time.
CSK came up with a complete show against RCB, although it was a bit too late. Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran combined brilliantly to pick up five wickets between themselves without giving away too many. The inclusion of Mitchell Santner also made a difference as he kept the runs down and also picked up a wicket. Spinners Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja would like to get some wickets.
The batting finally showed some spark. Young Ruturaj Gaikwad came up with an impressive fifty while Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu provided him good support. KKR defeated CSK by 10 runs the last time these sides met. So, CSK have another reason to do well.
Head-to-Head Record: Despite the recent loss, Chennai Super Kings lead the Kolkata Knight Riders 14-9.
CSK Predicted XI: Faf du Plessis/Shane Watson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK), N Jagadeesan, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar/Shardul Thakur, Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir and Monu Kumar
KKR Predicted XI: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Eoin Morgan (C), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti/Siddhesh Lad, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson and Varun Chakravarthy
Pitch Report
SRH scored 219 against Delhi and then held the latter to 131, putting pressure on the chasing team. Batting first may be the way to go.
Weather conditions
Temperature will be in the region of low 30s to high 20s.
--Renin Wilben