The battle to stay on top of the points table will be on DK's mind as his Knights take on MSD's Super Kings in the 23rd match of Vivo IPL 2019 tonight at Chepauk.
Both teams have so far played a different style of cricket altogether. KKR on one hand have relied more on their batsmen to go big and have blasted their way to score 932 runs in five matches. On the other hand, CSK have played more of an all-round cricket and have done just about enough with both bat and ball to win the same number of matches while scoring 689 runs.
Head to Head
CSK: 11 | KKR: 7 (Overall)
CSK: 6 | KKR: 2 (in Chennai)
KKR have a below par record in Chennai. The visitors, however, have won three out of their last five meetings. All three came in Kolkata, something the local boy and our skipper Dinesh Karthik will look to change tonight.
Throwback, CSK vs KKR - Vivo IPL 2018
Last year, we came very close to defeating CSK in Chennai. It was Dre Russ' 88* from 36 balls that kept us ahead in the first half of the game. But, the Englishman Sam Billings turned it around for the home team with his 56 runs knock from 23 balls as CSK chased the total with one ball remaining.
KKR at Chepauk
Our Knights do have a fond memory of winning their first Vivo IPL trophy back in 2012 here at Chepauk. But that was one of the only two wins we've ever had in Chennai. Our winning percentage at Chepauk is 25, second lowest after Wankhede Stadium. It’s a record which the team would want to turnaround.
KKR News:
Chris Lynn’s two good knocks in a row is a good sign for KKR. With Narine at the top order, he'll look to give KKR another great start. Andre Russell didn't get to bat against RR, but overall, our batting looks stronger than ever.
Skipper DK will again look to use his spinners smartly at Chepauk's slow wicket. Our bowlers were at top gear against RR and they have to keep the same momentum going against an experienced CSK batting line-up.
CSK News:
Number two at the points table, Dhoni-led CSK has also shares a very similar fate to us this season. Couple of close matches added by smart work in creating pressure while defending, Dhoni has inspired CSK in most of their wins.
Faf du Plessis at the top order and Ambati Rayudu at number five probably gives a perfect balance to CSK's batting order. Dhoni will again rely on his three spinners, with Jadhav and Raina chipping in, if and when required.
Teams:
CSK: MS Dhoni (C & WK), Imran Tahir, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Scott Kuggeleijn, Sam Billings, David Willey, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Narayan Jagadeesan, Suresh Raina, KM Asif, Shardul Thakur, Dhruv Shorey, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Dwayne Bravo, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Karn Sharma, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Mitchell Santner
KKR: Dinesh Karthik (C & WK), Carlos Brathwaite, Sandeep Warrier, Kuldeep Yadav, Shrikant Mundhe, Harry Gurney, Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla, Nikhil Naik, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Andre Russell, Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Chris Lynn, Rinku Singh, KC Cariappa, Joe Denly, Prithvi Raj Yarra, Robin Uthappa
Last Five Meetings
CSK 2-3 KKR
Venue: M. A. Chidambaram Stadium
Date & Time: Tuesday, 9th April 2019, 8 PM
