NEW DELHI: Chennai Super Kings (CSK), on a high after vanquishing Rajasthan Royals in the last match, would look to extend its winning streak when it takes on Kolkata Knight Riders in Mumbai on Wednesday. CSK had a bad start to the season, losing to Delhi Capitals by seven wickets in a one-sided affair. But since then, CSK has come on its own, with M.S. Dhoni making the most of his resources.
While Deepak Chahar helped CSK win against Punjab Kings, Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja’s spin web decimated the Royals. Sam Curran too is in good form, making impact both with the bat and ball. Be it his 15-ball 34 against in a losing cause to Delhi Capitals, or his bowling in the Powerplay, Curran is giving Dhoni many options. CSK will start as overwhelming favourites against KKR, which after its emphatic start against Sunrisers Hyderabad, has slipped to the fifth spot with defeats to Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
And in both the defeats, the Morgan-led team had the upper hands but could not capitalise on their starts. Head coach Brendon McCullum has already hinted at making some changes after KKR’s 38-run defeat to RCB.
As for CSK, opener Ruturaj Gaikwad is in a terrible form with scores and it remains to be seen whether he is given a longer rope by Dhoni.
In the second match Sunrisers Hyderabad, battered after suffering three successive defeats, will take on Punjab Kings, which is a tad better than SRH with win out of three games. Chasing has been a problem for Sunrisers. They have been hit hard by the lack of depth in their playing XI and below-par Indian bench strength. Warner and Rashid Khan are certainties in the foreign players’ slots, but the absence of Kane Williamson has been badly felt. Going by Wridhhiman Saha’s poor form, Jonny Bairstow is the frontrunner for the wicket-keeper’s position. SRH have been hit hard by the poor show of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and T. Natarajan. Rashid has been economical but didn’t look menacing so far.
TEAM ANALYSISPUNJAB KINGS VS SUNRISERS HYDERABAD Punjab Kings (1 win & 2 losses)
Strengths:
• Top 4 batsmen—K.L. Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle & Deepak Hooda
• Shahrukh is a good middle order batsman
• Arshdeep Singh seems to be a good strike bowler
Weaknesses:
• Bowlers are not performing up to their potential
• Batting collapse against CSKSUNRISERS HYDERABAD (All three lost)
Strengths:
• Good opening pair of David Warner & Jonny Bairstow
• Good bowling unit of Rashid, Mujeeb and Khaleel
Weaknesses:
• Main strike bowler Bhuvneshwar was expensive in the last match
• Middle and lower-middle batsmen are not doing well
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS VS CHENNAI SUPER KINGSKKR (1 win, 2 losses)Strength
Strengths:
• Nitish Rana is in good touch
• Harbhajan Singh is good in power-play
Weaknesses:
• Players are not able to turn a good start into a big score
• Bowling is in-consistentCSK (2 wins & 1 lose)
Strengths:
• Moeen Ali and Sam Curran are in good form
• Ravindra Jadeja is in good touch
• Raina & Rayudu were good in the middle overs
• Deep batting order
Weaknesses:
• Dhoni is out of touch so far
• Flop show of opener Ruturaj Gaikwad
• No genuine pacer
