| Match Date: | 14th April, Sunday |
| Match Timing: | 4:00 PM |
| Expected Crowd Turnout: | 60,000 |
| Match Venue: | Eden Garden, Kolkata |
The Match 29 of VIVO Indian Premier League 2019 will see Kolkata Knight Riders welcome reigning champions Chennai Super Kings at the iconic Eden Garden in Kolkata. KKR’s stunning start to the 2019 IPL season was stunted by two consecutive defeats at the hands of CSK and DC. Although they still stand second in the league table with 8 points, there are three other teams in line with the same points tally. CSK, on the other hand, have been the team to beat this season. Having lost just one game of the opening seven. With the kind of form they are in, Chennai look destined to finish at the pinnacle of the points table.
Here is the detailed analysis of the Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings IPL match:
| Key Players in form | KKR– Andre Russell, Shubman Gill. CSK– MS Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu. |
| Weather Conditions | 33℃, 67% Humidity, Winds up to 19 km/hr. |
| Toss Advantage | Team chasing has won equal matches as team defending last season. |
| Pitch Conditions | Flat, Batting-friendly pitch. High humidity may affect bowling later in the evening. |
| Venue Stats | Average Total (2018): 161 Highest Total (2018): 210/6 (MI) Last Match: KKR 178/7 | 180/3 DC |
| Ground Size: Eden Gardens | Side Boundaries: 64 m, Straight Boundary: 82 m |
| Injury Updates | KKR – Matt Kelly has been roped in for an injured Anrich Nortje (Shoulder). Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti (Sandeep Warrier will be replacing him) are out as well. CSK– Dwayne Bravo has been on the sidelines for the last few matches. He is expected to be out for this match as well. |
| Home Advantage | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| Head-to-Head | KKR 13 – 10 DC (0 Draw) |
| Form | KKR – L W W L L CSK – W L W W W |
| Playing11 | KKR Playing11 Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana, Robin Uthappa, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik, Sunil Narine, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, Harry Gurney. CSK Playing11 Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir. |
KKR vs CSK Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders started the campaign with major victories over SRH, KXIP, and RCB. Nitish Rana, Robin Uthappa, and Andre Russell all shone as KKR’s batting prowess was on display. However, as the season wore off, the shortcomings in the team came to the fore.
The most prominent of them is their underperforming bowling performance. KKR have taken the least number of wickets this season (24). And what is worrying is the form of their leading bowlers is not encouraging. In the last match against Delhi Capitals, only Prasidh Krishna, Andre Russell and Nitish Rana were successful in taking wickets while the team’s other specialist bowler like Kuldeep Yadav, Piyush Chawla, and Lockie Ferguson all failed to perform. Factually Speaking, the trio only have 9 wickets between them. In comparison, CSK three leading bowlers – Deepak Chahar, Imran Tahir, and Harbhajan Singh – have a massive 26 wickets between them.
Also Read | IPL 2019: 35+ Hilarious RCB Memes From This Season
They are also not in the greatest form on the batting front as well. Runs have waned off for Nitish Rana, who was the inaugural Orange Cap holder, Chris Lynn, and Robin Uthappa off late. It seems as though the team has become over dependent on Andre Russell to bail them out of the sticky situations. Although the mighty West Indian is performing on all the fronts (he is the KKR’s highest run scorer (302) and wicket-taker (6)), he alone cannot win them the matches every time.
Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, are excelling on all the fronts. However, instead of their star-studded batting line-up, it is the bowling department that is winning them the matches. Deepak Chahar (10 wickets) has been the find of the year for CSK. The 26-year-old has already made a name for himself as the league’s best power-play bowler. Imran Tahir (9 wickets) and Harbhajan Singh (7 wickets) have formed a formidable partnership in the spin department.
Legendary. #CSK is BOSS. Dhoni’s the biggest rock star #IPL has ever seen….. #RRvCSK
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) April 11, 2019
Predicted Winner
Going by both the team’s forms, it seems that Chennai Super Kings should win this match. However, we may be in for a shocker here!
Dream11 Hint
The average score at the Eden Gardens this season has been a massive 188 runs. So expect no less than fire-works in Kolkata. Thus, choosing 4-5 batsman is recommended. If CSK bat first, the score can even cross the 200 run mark, considering their immense batting depth. Thus, if they bat first, choose more batsman from CSK. Vice-versa for KKR. Deepak Chahar and Imran Tahir are a must. In the all-rounder department, choosing Andre Russell is a no-brainer.
KKR vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Team 1
MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Faf du Plessis, Shubman Gill, Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Prasidha Krishna.
KKR vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Team 2
Dinesh Karthik, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Robin Uthappa, Chris Lynn, Nitish Rana, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Kuldeep Yadav.
