On Sunday, Chennai Super Kings will face Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 61 (CSK vs KKR) of the IPL 2023 at Chepauk. The two clubs have had distinct seasons, but the game is important for each for different reasons.
At the time of writing, Chennai has 15 points and a win will guarantee their position in the playoffs. MS Dhoni and company don’t want to make a mistake at home, which would place them in a do-or-die position in their last game.
whereas KKR suffered a humiliating defeat from Rajasthan Royals in their last game and now need to win their all remaining games to keep their playoff hopes alive. They just cannot afford another poor performance, especially against Chennai at their home
On that topic, let’s take a look at the three matchups that might determine the game’s flow:
3) Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Sunil Narine
Ruturaj Gaikwad appears to have pushed harder this season to get CSK off to a fast start. While he may not have many big scores to his record, he has provided CSK with some quick-fire starts that have really aided them.
Kolkata is in a difficult situation since famous spinner Sunil Narine has not lived up to expectations this season. The Chepauk pitch, on the other hand, could just have enough turn to keep Narine engaged.
In T20s, Gaikwad has scored 55 runs from 39 balls bowled by Narine. However, the fact that Narine has previously dismissed the right-hander will give him optimism.
2) Andre Russell vs Ravindra Jadeja
Andre Russell has made many appearances for KKR this season, although he would certainly admit that the shots he played to get dismissed weren’t required at the moment. Russell appears to be vulnerable to the ball moving away from him, which makes his matchup with Ravindra Jadeja intriguing.
In all T20s, the dynamic all-rounder had an excellent record against Jadeja, scoring 69 runs in just 38 balls. However, Jadeja has removed him twice, and it may be difficult for Russell to just hit over the line on the Chepauk pitch, which provides some grip and turns to the spinners.
1) MS Dhoni vs Varun Chakravarthy
In their triumph over the Sunrisers Hyderabad on a slow surface, KKR made a wise decision to use Varun Chakravarthy at the death. With Chepauk expected to provide similar conditions, Kolkata may be tempted to keep Chakravarthy at bay.
This might also imply that he would be bowling to CSK captain MS Dhoni, which could benefit the visitors. Chakravarthy has conceded just 16 runs against the great batsman and has struck him out three times. CSK will be afraid of this unfavourable match-up, whilst KKR would try to capitalise on it.
