IPL 2023: KKR meet CSK to keep playoff hopes alive
Kolkata Knight Riders will meet Chennai Super Kings in a must-win Match 61 of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL). Having won just five of their 12 games, KKR must win both their remaining games to keep their playoff hopes alive. CSK, meanwhile, will officially secure a playoff berth with a win against the Knight Riders. Here we look at the preview.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium will host this duel on May 14 (7:30pm). Another run feast might be on offer as the track here has been fruitful for batting. Spinners can inflict some damage in the middle overs. Teams batting first and chasing have won three games apiece here this season. Star Sports will telecast the match, while fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema.
A look at the H2H record
MS Dhoni's are far ahead of KKR in terms of the head-to-head record. The four-time champions have defeated the Knight Riders 18 times in 28 IPL meetings. While KKR prevailed nine times, the remaining one encounter was inconclusive. Notably, CSK walked away with an emphatic 49-run win against KKR earlier this season. Over 400 runs were scored in that contest.
Confidence in CSK camp
CSK would be high on confidence, having won four of their six home games this season. Their ferocious batting line-up has made up for their fragile bowling unit. Dhoni has been spot-on with his captaincy. KKR have been majorly dented by the failures of their prominent stars. They are coming off a humiliating nine-wicket defeat against Rajasthan Royals.
Here are the probable playing XIs
CSK Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (captain & wicket-keeper), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana. KKR Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Jason Roy, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana (captain), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Shardul Thakur, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy. Impact subs: Matheesha Pathirana and Suyash Sharma.
Here are the key performers
Devon Conway has raced to 468 runs in 12 matches this season at an average of 52.00 (50s: 5). Tushar Deshpande is CSK's leading wicket-taker in IPL 2023 with 19 wickets (Economy: 10.01). Venkatesh Iyer (371), Rinku Singh (353), and skipper Nitish Rana (348) have been among the runs for KKR. Varun Chakaravarthy has raced to 17 wickets in 12 matches (ER: 7.94).
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy option 1: Devon Conway (C), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Ravindra Jadeja (VC), Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana. Fantasy option 2: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube (VC), Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Tushar Deshpande, Matheesha Pathirana.
