Not very long ago, Kolkata Knight Riders were the team to watch out for, but such has been the frenetic nature of this tournament that they have lost two on the trot and are now struggling to find the right combination to work around the maverick Andre Russell. They will take on Chennai Super Kings, a side which keeps finding ways to win matches from impossible situations.
However, the nature of the surface at Eden Gardens means that CSK needs to adapt and adjust quickly and will have to devise new strategies to give competition to Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens.
Predicted XI of both sides:
KKR Predicted XI: Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik (c, wk), Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Piyush Chawla, Harry Gurney, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav
CSK Predicted XI: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Mohit Sharma
Fantasy tips and suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: Dinesh Karthik should be preferred over MS Dhoni as the KKR skipper will bat higher up the order and is more in tune with the pitch and conditions at Kolkata. MS Dhoni bats lower down the order and hence, might not have enough time to showcase his prowess.
Batsmen: Faf du Plessis has been very consistent at the top of the order for CSK, as has Nitish Rana been for KKR. Hence, both these batsmen should get a look in for the match. Also, Ambati Rayudu struck form in the previous match and when this happens, he generally gets into a run-scoring spree. Also, young Shubman Gill who was mighty impressive in the previous match should bat in the top order and will have enough opportunity to stake a claim in the playing XI.
All-rounders: Andre Russell marches into this side, he has already enamoured Eden Gardens a couple of times this season and will hold the key once again. Also, Ravindra Jadeja has been consistent for CSK this season, more so with the ball, and hence, can be included in the side.
Spinners: Piyush Chawla, who will take the new ball, more often than not picks up wickets in the powerplay overs. Also, Imran Tahir, who has been frugal and impressive this season, will be a hot pick in the playing XI.
Seamers: Deepak Chahar, Harry Gurney should be the two definite picks for the playing XI. Also, there will be a toss-up between Mohit Sharma and Prasidh Krishna, and Mohit should get the nod.
