IPL 2023, CSK vs KKR: MS Dhoni elects to bat
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 will officially secure a playoff berth with a win. CSK skipper MS Dhoni has won the toss and elected to bat.
Here are the two teams
Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Jason Roy, Nitish Rana (captain), Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Shardul Thakur, Sunil Narine, Vaibhav Arora, Harshit Rana, Suyash Sharma, and Varun Chakaravarthy. Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (captain and wicket-keeper), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, and Maheesh Theekshana.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium will host this duel on May 14 (7:30pm). The track here has been producing low-scoring encounters of late. 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 head-to-head 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. Besides, 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.
