CSK vs KKR: Head-to-head, playing XI and other interesting stats
Chennai Super Kings will host Kolkata Knight Riders in their second match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018 campaign. After notching a thriller against Mumbai Indians, CSK will be wary of KKR, as they outsmarted Royal Challengers Bangalore. CSK have their task cut out after Kedar Jadhav was ruled out of the season due to an injury. Here is our pre-match report.
CSK go into the game with a better head-to-head record
CSK have enjoyed supremacy over KKR and the statistics show a better head-to-head record. In 17 encounters between these two teams, CSK have gone on to win 10, as KKR have pocketed the other 6. One match was abandoned due to rain. At the Chidambaram stadium (Chennai's home stadium), 7 matches have been played and CSK have won 5 out of those.
In 2015, CSK showed dominance at home
Before their two-year suspension, CSK had won 6 out of the 7 matches held at the Chidambaram stadium in IPL 2015. Coming back this year, they will want to achieve similar heights. They had reached the final in that season but lost it to MI.
MSD will be aware of DK's leadership skills
CSK skipper Dhoni will be wary of new KKR captain Dinesh Karthik, who had an excellent first game against RCB. KKR have the firepower to trouble CSK and are likely to go in with three premier spinners. Last time, the two sides met on this ground, CSK won the tie by just two runs in a low-scoring affair. Can KKR hold their nerves?
Probable playing XI - Chennai Super Kings
Likely playing XI for CSK: Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Mark Wood and Imran Tahir.
Probable playing XI for Kolkata Knight Riders
Likely playing XI for KKR: Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (captain and wicket-keeper), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Vinay Kumar, Piyush Chawla, Kuldeep Yadav and Mitchell Johnson.
