IPL 2023, CSK vs KKR: Chennai eyes two points to improve playoff chances; Kolkata in must-win situation
IPL 2023: Chennai Super Kings will host Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday. While the former requires two points to better its playoff chances, the latter is in a do-or-die situation. Here is the match preview.
FollowFour-time former champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will clash with two-time former champion Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in a 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) match at the MA Chidambaram (Chepauk) Stadium in Chennai on Sunday, aiming for a win and strengthen its chances of sealing a playoffs berth.
With 15 points (12 matches), the Super Kings are better placed to go through to the next stage, while Knight Riders (10 points) must win their two remaining games and hope other results go their way. Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team comes into the match with two wins on the bounce and, like always, will be tough to beat at their 'den'.
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Even a couple of sixes from Dhoni's bat are enough to send the Chepauk crowd into a tizzy, and he did that in the previous match against Delhi Capitals (DC), which proved vital. The opening batters Devon Conway (420 runs) and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the home team have been providing solid starts. Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube have benefited from the clarity of roles they have been assigned and have been vital cogs in the CSK batting line-up.
On a slow pitch, which saw the batters struggle, Dube managed a few big hits and would be eyeing an encore on Sunday. Though Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Ambati Rayudu have yet to have the desired impact, the Super Kings have managed well. The bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana especially, have done the job for the skipper. Tushar Deshpande, albeit expensive, has managed to pick up wickets. The spinners -- Jadeja, Moeen and Maheesh Theekshana -- have effectively put the squeeze on opposition batters, as the Delhi team found out on Wednesday.
KKR will also fancy its chances based on the presence of spinners who have made an impact. How Varun Chakravarthy and leg-spinner Suyash Sharma bowl on Sunday could well decide the match's outcome. The experienced Sunil Narine has been off-colour for most of the IPL season and will look to make amends.
Skipper Nitish Rana and Venkatesh Iyer have been the better performers in the batting line-up, and KKR would expect the openers to provide a solid start so that the rest can build on that. However, it is easier said than done, with Pathirana expected to have a say in the proceedings with his mix of yorkers and slower ones.
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Jadeja could be one bowler the opposition batters would be wary of, as he hardly allows them time and is most often accurate. The Knight Riders have to put behind the hammering at the hands of former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday and approach Sunday's fixture with a positive frame of mind. A loss on the morrow could hurt its chances of advancing in the tournament.
Squads:
CSK: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Akash Singh, Moeen Ali, Bhagath Varma, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Sisanda Magala, Ajay Mandal, Matheesha Pathirana, Dwaine Pretorius, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Ambati Rayudu, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Ben Stokes and Maheesh Theekshana.
KKR: Nitish Rana (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Lockie Ferguson, Umesh Yadav, Tim Southee, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Anukul Roy, Rinku Singh, N. Jagadeesan, Vaibhav Arora, Suyash Sharma, David Wiese, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mandeep Singh, Aarya Desai and Johnson Charles.
Match details
Date and day: May 14, 2023 (Sunday)
Venue: Chepauk Stadium, Chennai
Time: 7.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema
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