Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Indian Premier League 2020, Today Match Prediction 29 Oct 2020

csk vs kkr Match Prediction & Analysis

Chennai Super Kings would be up against the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 49th game of the IPL. Chennai comes into this game after massive win against the Royal Challengers Bangalore against the run of play, but the side is already out of the contention for a spot in the next round. For the KKR it was yet another loss against the Kings XI Punjab and their entry into the next round would depend on the result of the next game which they can’t afford to lose. 

For CSK it has been a disastrous season where they have failed to show their consistency. Their batting line-up has struggled right through the tournament and this is big concern for them going into this contest. As far as KKR is concerned they will take heart from their last win against Chennai and shall like to use that as an inspiration in what is a do-or-die contest for the side.  

TEAMS PREVIEW

Chennai Super Kings Preview

It was a big win for MS Dhoni’s side in the last game against the Royal Challengers Bangalore where the side won by 8 wickets. However, this has come a bit late in the season as the side has lost all its hopes of making it to the next round. All they would have to play for is pride in what has been the worst season for the franchise in this tournament. With Kolkata too struggling at the moment Dhoni would definitely count his chances. 

The opening pair of Rituraj Gaikwad and Faf du Plessis did well in the last game and the side would need a similar start from them especially the former South African skipper who has been their best batsmen this season.  Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran and Dhoni shall need to play good knocks which they have failed to do on a consistent basis. In Ravindra Jadeja and N Jagadeesan the side has good firepower down the order. 

It was a good show with the ball from Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran in the last game and the side would look for a similar show from them in this game as well. Imran Tahir also made the RCB batsmen struggle and so did Mitchell Santner. Jadeja brings in vast experience to this bowling unit. While they have looked good on paper the side would need a team effort from its bowling unit in this game. 

Best Batsman – Faf du Plessis     
Best Bowler – Imran Tahir

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI:

MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, N Jagadeesan, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, Monu Kumar

Chennai Super Kings Actual Playing XI:

Karn Sharma, Mitchell Santner, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Narayan Jagadeesan, Deepak Chahar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni, SR Watson, Lungi Ngidi

Kolkata Knight Riders Preview

Eoin Morgan’s team is failing to maintain momentum in this season of the tournament and the side just manages to let itself down losing games after registering victories. Their bowling attack was decimated in the last game against the Kings XI Punjab which they lost by 8 wickets. They are currently placed fifth on the points table and shall aim for a higher spot with a win here. 

KKR has been inconsistent at the top and haven’t been able to figure out the right opening combination. Shubman Gill had played well but he will need good support from his fellow opener Rahul Tripathi. Nitish Rana and Dinesh Karthik have to assume responsibility as they are letting the team down on most occasions. Morgan, Sunil Narine and Pat Cummins will need to play quick-fire knocks down the order for the side to win this game. 

Their bowling attack which did well early in the season has struggled in the last few games and the side will need a good show from Pat Cummins and Lockie Ferguson who have done well this season. Varun Chakravarthy and Prasidh Krishna will need to use the experience they have gained against Chennai’s struggling batting line-up. Narine has bowled tight spells this season and the side will need another good effort from him in this game. 

Top Batsman – Shubman Gill     
Top Bowler – Lockie Ferguson

Kolkata Knight Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Eoin Morgan (c), Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins, Lockie Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy

Kolkata Knight Riders Actual Playing XI:

Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shubman Gill, Varun Chakravarthy, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins, Rinku Singh, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan, Sunil Narine, Dinesh Karthik, RA Tripathi

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Dubai would see clear skies and a warm evening on October 29 although the temperatures have dropped a bit in the last few games. The surface is an absolute delight for the batsmen and we have seen lot of runs being scored here in the last few games. A score of 180 runs is a must for the side batting first to feel safe on this track.   
 

Venue Details

The Dubai International Cricket Stadium is large in size and hitting the ball over the boundary ropes isn’t easy. But the pitch is a good one to bat on and the fast outfield offers ample boundary scoring opportunities to the batsmen. Fast bowlers need to use variations to grab wickets as there is no assistance from the track. But spinners have done well here in the recent games as the slowness of the surface aids them.  

Toss: To Bowl

The pitch doesn’t change much of its character in the second innings as we have seen in the last few games. The slower wicket can create doubts in the minds of the side batting first and this makes it difficult to set a total here. Hence we believe the side winning the toss would opt to bowl first here.