Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be targeting their third win in the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 as they square off at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
KKR has a bit of a break since its last match against the Delhi Capitals. That was a frenetic match in Sharjah that KKR ended up losing but not before it came pretty close to chasing down a mammoth total. That match has raised some questions about the tactics that KKR is following, in particular, about the role of Dinesh Karthik in the team. Dinesh Karthik should bat at number 6, below the likes of Nitish Rana, Andre Russell, and Eoin Morgan.
All things considered, KKR has a match stronger batting lineup than CSK. It has Shubman Gill, Eoin Morgan, Nitish Rana, and Andre Russell all in good form. Russell may not have set IPL 2020 alight just yet but he is striking the ball pretty cleanly. The opening position of Sunil Narine looks under threat. We think KKR may look to include Tom Banton in the team and give him a shot at giving them better starts. Similarly, they could choose to promote Rahul Tripathi and add Lockie Ferguson to the team instead of Narine.
That would probably require dropping one out of Shivam Mavi or Kamlesh Nagarkoti in place of Kuldeep Yadav. Either direction would make KKR a much better team than it is now. We have to assume that KKR is going to make the right decisions thanks to the team of analysts that surround them. If they don't, they are going to continue underachieving in IPL 2020.
In their last outing, CSK gave KXIP a beating that they are going to remember for a long time. 178 can be a tricky target to chase but CSK did it without losing a wicket and with 2.2 overs to spare! CSK is a great team when Shane Watson plays at his best and that is what happened in the previous match. We know Watson tends to start tournaments a bit slower these days but can go on scoring streaks once he is in-form.
Watson scoring runs, Faf du Plessis in tremendous touch, and the return of Ambati Rayadu make CSK a much tougher team to beat. It does not take away the problems of the middle-order but CSK will be hoping for more runs from the top-order. If, however, the openers get out cheaply, CSK is very vulnerable.
The bowling lineup did very well in Dubai in the previous match. Deepak Chahar got swing, Sam Curran was tidy without being at his best, while the spinners exerted better control in than in the past. Dwayne Bravo is back in the side as Dhoni searches for familiarity once more. We do think CSK could be better served by adding a genuine batsman or bowler to the team but that is not going to happen in this match.
Weather Forecast
When the match between KKR and CSK will be played, the temperature is expected to be around 36 degree Celsius. Humidity is likely to be around 55 per cent and wind speed is likely to be about 21 kmph. There is no prediction of rain.
Pitch Report
The conditions in Abu Dhabi have been a bit on the slower side but still in favor of the batsmen. The ball has gripped a bit and the scoring rates have been lesser here than at other venues. Batting first could be a big advantage and a score of around 170-180 is going to be tough to chase down.
Toss Prediction
Team winning the toss shoul opt bat first. We have seen batting first be a significant advantage overall but its 3-3 at this venue. As the tournament goes on, the pitches will become slower and favor the teams batting first.
Stats and Facts
Head to head: Matches Played: 22
Chennai Super Kings: 14
Kolkata Knight Riders: 8
Approaching Milestones:
MS Dhoni needs one six to reach 300 in T20 cricket.
MS Dhoni needs 51 runs to complete 4000 IPL runs for CSK.
Dinesh Karthik requires 53 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs as captain.
Russell needs two wickets to reach 300 in T20s.
Pat Cummins needs one wicket to reach 100 in T20s.
Faf du Plessis require 79 runs to complete 2000 IPL runs for CSK.
Ambati Rayudu 37 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs for CSK.
Eoin Morgan needs 10 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs.
Andre Russell needs 52 runs to complete 1500 IPL runs.
Likely XIs:
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Shardul
Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla
Kolkata Knight Riders: Sunil Narine, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (capt & wk), Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Rahul Tripathi, Pat Cummins, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakravarthy
Players to Watch Out For:
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Dwayne Bravo
Kolkata Knight Riders: Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik, Eoin Morgan, Andre Russell, Pat Cummins
Match Odds:
Chennai Super Kings: 1.9
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1.9
SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders
IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds
Mumbai Indians - 3.6
Delhi Capitals - 4
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 6
Kolkata Knight Riders - 7.5
Chennai Super Kings - 9
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 12
Rajasthan Royals - 15
Kings XI Punjab - 21
Match Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Time: 7.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP
