Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Premier League (IPL), Today Match Prediction 09 Apr 2019

csk vs kkr Match Prediction & Analysis

Chennai Super Kings will be eager to extend their lead at the top of the points table when they will lock horns with Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Tuesday. 

Reigning Champions Chennai Super Kings have got off to a decent start and have already secured four wins out of five matches played so far this season. Captain MS Dhoni will be hoping that the side can maintain unbeaten record in their home fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders.

On the other hand, Kolkata delivered a formidable performance against Rajasthan Royals to go top of the league table with eight points to their name. Two-time Champions Kolkata will certainly face their biggest test when they take on Chennai Super Kings in their next game.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Chennai Super Kings Preview

Reigning Champions Chennai Super Kings will be looking to maintain their good form with bat and ball in their home fixture.

Chennai made changes to their playing XI as Faf du Plessis and Scott Kuggeleijn made their first appearance for the franchise in the previous game played against Kings XI Punjab. Faf du Plessis certainly delivered the goods with the bat for Chennai at the top of the innings. He scored 54 off 38 balls with the help of four fours and two sixes. 

Before the start of this game, Chennai had concerns over the lack of runs from the opening pair of Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu. With du Plessis doing well with the bat in the previous game, Chennai will be hoping that he can continue his good form with the bat in the next couple of matches.

The batting lineup has not done that well with Shane Watson struggling to produce runs with the bat so far this season. Opener has managed to only score only 88 runs in 5 matches at an average of 17.60. Chennai will be hoping that Watson can find form with the bat in the next couple of matches.

Kedhar Jadhav and Suresh Raina have contributed with decent scores for Chennai in this year’s competition. Jadhav has done well for the side and is averaging 35.33 with the bat. Raina will be looking to produce a notable score against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Captain MS Dhoni has been in splendid form with the bat so far this season and topped the batting charts for Chennai with 156 runs in 5 matches. Dhoni certainly delivered crucial innings in the previous game played against Kings XI Punjab. Due to his quick runs in the later stages of the innings that helped Chennai post a competitive score on the board.

On the bowling front, the spin duo of Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir has shown excellent form so far this season. Harbhajan was star performer for Chennai in the previous game and picked up two wickets. Tahir has been excellent and has so far claimed 7 wickets in 5 matches at an average of 13.85.

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI:

MS Dhoni (c &wk), Kedhar Jadhav, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, Ravendra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Scott Kuggeleijn, Harbhajan Singh

Chennai Super Kings Actual Playing XI:

Imran Tahir, Kedar Jadhav, SR Watson, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni

Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders got off to a flying start with four wins in five matches, and will be looking to keep their perfect start intact. 

Bowling first, Kolkata restricted Rajasthan to 139-3, courtesy superb bowling performances from Harry Gurney, Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine. The bowling trio gave away just 66 runs in twelve overs. They were well supported by medium pacer Prasidh Krishna, who claimed one wicket and gave away 35 runs in his four overs.  

In reply, Kolkata Knight Riders chase down the target of 140 in the 14th over at the expense of two wickets, thanks to a brisk half-century from opening batsman Chris Lynn, who scored 50 off 32 balls with the help of six fours and two sixes. He was well supported by makeshift opener Sunil Narine, who chipped in with 47 off 25 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes.

In the batting department, Robin Uthappa and Chris Lynn are scoring bulk of the runs, whereas in the bowling department, it’s the spin duo of Piyush Chawla and Sunil Narine which is creating the real trouble for the oppositions batting lineup. All-rounder Andre Russell has certainly been in splendid form with the bat so far this season and topped the batting charts for Kolkata with 207 runs at an average of 103.50.

In the bowling department, England medium-pacer Harry Gurney was standout bowler for the side in the previous game and picked up two wickets.

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Dinesh Karthik (captain), Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav, Prasidh Krishna, Harry Gurney.

Kolkata Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Sunil Narine, RV Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Dinesh Karthik, Chris Lynn, Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Piyush Chawla, Harry Gurney, Andre Russell

Weather Conditions

The wicket will definitely be decent for batting. The spinners have played a huge role at this venue. The weather forecast for the game on Tuesday is going to be generally clear skies.

Venue

MA Chidambaram Stadium is going to host all the home fixtures for Chennai Super Kings in this year’s competition. Chennai have been formidable at home, winning three out of three games played so far. To add to that, Chennai have an excellent head-to-head record against Kolkata at this venue.

Toss: To Bat

Given a dry surface expected for the game, the side that wins the toss would be looking to bat first and get a decent total on the board. The last two games at this venue have been won by side batting first.