Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2020 Match 21: CSK vs KKR Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | CSK vs KKR Dream11 Prediction | Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

Two of the most decorated franchises go head-to-head in a high-stakes clash at Abu Dhabi, as one of the most competitive IPL tournaments in recent times heads towards its halfway stage.

With five IPL Titles between them, Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders are on a mission to add to their respective tallies. However, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for both teams thus far, making the 21st clash of this year’s tournament one that will have billions of eyes glued to it.

But, CSK will be buoyed by dominating Punjab’s bowling, reducing them to a mockery, rather than the Kings they wish to be. Shane Watson repaid the faith and Faf du Plessis continued his magnificent form to lead CSK to a vital win – a win they will be looking to build on here. Limiting the powerful KKR batting lineup will be the challenge for MS Dhoni’s men, who himself will be looking to build on reaching 100 dismissals in IPL cricket.

However, one can expect KKR to test CSK a little more. CSK’s middle order wasn’t required against KXIP, but it is very likely they’ll be needed against a KKR side looking for their own bounceback after falling short against the Capitals. Also, former skipper Gautam Gambhir was vocal about Dinesh Karthik’s batting position, after a crucial call to bat himself ahead of the in-form Eoin Morgan in the defeat to DC. Here, the Knight Riders will be out to get the batting order right in a crucial game – including the out-of-form Sunil Narine. Also, can the young bowling attack produce the kind of performance they did against the Royals?

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Watch out for Andre Russell. One of the greatest T20 players has a superb record for KKR against CSK, with 268 runs at an average of 67.00, SR 176.32.
• Russell to dominate the death overs today? Since IPL 2018, he has smashed 98 runs in overs 16-20 against CSK, without being dismissed. Also, he has scored 78 runs in 30 balls against Dwayne Bravo in IPL, without a single dismissal.
• How well is Faf du Plessis going? The South African is now second in the Orange Cap 2020 race, with 282 runs in five innings at an average of 94.00. This includes three half centuries.
• Shane Watson found form against KXIP, hitting 83* off 53 balls. Also, Watson has a solid overall record against KKR, with 439 runs at an average of 31.36 (SR 147.81). However, he has just one 50+ score against KKR in 17 innings, which was an unbeaten century.
• Shubman Gill struck 70* in his last game at Abu Dhabi, against SRH. The youngster is having a solid season so far (152 runs in four knocks), and has made an excellent start to his IPL career as opener: 10 inns, 388 runs, avg. 48.50, SR 130.64.
• MS Dhoni has the most runs of any player out of the current CSK squad vs KKR. His 470 runs have come at a superb average of 67.14 and SR 142.42. Also, Dhoni, amid the criticism, has shown some good form with the bat in IPL 2020 (91 runs, SR 135.82, one dismissal).
• Eoin Morgan is looking in fine touch. He has struck 116 runs in his last three matches at a strike rate of 165.71, with just one dismissal.
• Ravindra Jadeja has taken just one wicket in his last four games. However, he has the second-most wickets in CSK-KKR matches, with 14 wickets in 14 games. Sunil Narine also has 14 wickets, in 12 matches.
• Deepak Chahar will have a crucial role to play at both key stages of the innings. He has five wickets in five games so far in 2020 (econ. 7.84), and took 3/20 vs KKR last season.
• Pat Cummins’ last two games away from Sharjah: 1/19 (4) and 1/13 (3).
• Shardul Thakur has taken three wickets in two games so far in IPL 2020, playing a key role for CSK so far. He also has three wickets in two games vs KKR.
• Sam Curran is wicketless in his last two games – can he bounce back today?

Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 23, CSK 14, KKR 8, 1 abandoned.
• CSK have won three of their past four games vs KKR.
• Sunil Narine has an excellent record vs Shane Watson. In 28 deliveries in IPL, Narine has dismissed Watson four times, conceding just 29 runs in the process.
• If picked, how will Dwayne Bravo go today? He has a poor record vs Andre Russell, and concedes over 10 runs per over in 11 matches vs KKR.
• Time for KKR to push Sunil Narine down the order with Rahul Tripathi to open? Narine has scored just 29 runs in four innings in IPL 2020.
• If CSK pick Imran Tahir, they will be picking a player with six wickets in three games vs KKR.

Possible Playing 11

The return of Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo inspires more confidence for CSK. However, as mentioned, Bravo doesn’t have the best of records vs KKR, so it will be interesting to see CSK’s approach.

Chennai Super Kings: 1. Shane Watson, 2. Faf du Plessis, 3. Ambati Rayudu, 4. Kedar Jadhav, 5. MS Dhoni (c & wk), 6. Ravindra Jadeja, 7. Dwayne Bravo, 8. Sam Curran, 9. Shardul Thakur, 10. Deepak Chahar, 11. Piyush Chawla

KKR could look to shift Sunil Narine down the order. Rahul Tripathi looked good vs DC, striking 36 off 16 balls at Sharjah.

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1. Rahul Tripathi, 2. Shubman Gill, 3. Nitish Rana, 4. Andre Russell, 5. Eoin Morgan, 6. Dinesh Karthik (c & wk), 7. Sunil Narine, 8. Pat Cummins, 9. Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 10. Shivam Mavi, 11. Varun Chakravarthy

Abu Dhabi Pitch and Weather Report

The team batting first has won 75% of matches in IPL 2020 (15/20). At Abu Dhabi, the chasing team has had a little more success, but the team batting first has still won on four out of seven occasions. Once again, expect the batting surface to be nice and even for batting, as the tournament is still in its first half.

The average first innings score at Abu Dhabi in IPL 2020 is 171.29. In wins, the average first innings score bumps up to 185.25, courtesy of three 190+ scores by Mumbai Indians.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

A beauty awaits. The key for KKR would be to test CSK’s middle order as soon as possible, as well as dominate the middle-death overs with the bat. If they can, they can go on to win this match.

Thanks for reading!