Last Updated on 3 months by Charbel Coorey

IPL 2020 Match 49: CSK vs KKR Preview Dream11 Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | CSK vs KKR Dream11 Prediction Today | Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Key Players | Dubai Pitch Report

All to play for. With every team having played 12 matches, the final few days of the IPL 2020 league stage presents a world of opportunity for franchises and fans alike.

Unfortunately for Chennai Super Kings, though, that opportunity only translates into being nuisance value for other teams as they are now eliminated. After beating RCB comfortably on the weekend, CSK now have the chance to put a serious dent in Kolkata Knight Riders’ playoff hopes. KKR, who have been so up-and-down in IPL 2020, will likely need two wins from their final two games to qualify, given their poor net run rate of -0.479.

A win for KKR will see them overtake Kings XI Punjab and go back into the top four, as well as go level with Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals. A loss, though, will have them hoping that Kings XI Punjab loses their next game, otherwise qualification would become too difficult due to their net run rate issue. Crucial game.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• Youngster Raturaj Gaikwad announced himself on the IPL scene with an excellent 65* off 51 balls last game vs RCB. Can he back it up with another strong effort today?
• MS Dhoni also showed some good touch in his short stay at the crease last game vs RCB (19*). The CSK skipper has a superb record for CSK vs KKR, and can spoil their playoff hopes if he fires: 19 inns, 481 runs, avg. 60.13, SR 140.64.
• It was Rahul Tripathi who starred for KKR vs CSK earlier this season, with 81 off 51 balls. Since then, though, Tripathi has struggled for form (71 runs in seven innings), so is this the day he fires?
• Shubman Gill has hit eight double-figure scores in his last 10 innings, and is coming off a half-century against KXIP last match. In four matches vs CSK so far, Gill has scored 92 runs at 30.67. Can he influence this game?
• Faf du Plessis started the season brilliantly (282 runs in first five matches at avg. of 94), but has since fallen off to the detriment of CSK (119 runs in next seven innings at avg. of 17).
• Eoin Morgan’s last five innings: 39*, 34, 30, 17, 40. Morgan has a very respectable record in IPL 2020 (335 runs, avg. 37.22), but is yet to convert a start into a fifty. Can he do so today?
• Sam Curran has a shining light for CSK. He has taken the most wickets for them in IPL 2020 (13), along with 173 runs at a strike rate of 136.22. He took 2/26 vs KKR earlier this season.
• Ravindra Jadeja has not had an impact with the ball in IPL 2020 (four wickets in 12 games). But, if he gets the chance to bat, one might expect him to score well. In 12 innings for CSK vs KKR, Jadeja has struck 189 runs at an average of 47.25 and SR 136.96. Also, Jadeja has hit 128 runs in last six innings in IPL 2020 (two dismissals, SR 175.34).
• Sunil Narine has the second-most wickets in KKR-CSK games (15 in 13 matches). Also, Narine’s contribution will be key in the middle order with the bat, as KKR really benefitted from his 64 off 32 balls two games ago vs DC.
• Varun Chakravarthy has taken at least one wicket in four of his last five matches, including a brilliant 5/20 vs DC.
• Lockie Ferguson (3/15, 1/17, 1/30 and 1/32 in IPL 2020) will be key in the middle overs against a CSK side that has often struggled in this stage in IPL 2020. His pace partner, Pat Cummins, will be looking to make an impact in the powerplay. Remember, CSK were reduced to 3/4 vs MI two games ago.
• Imran Tahir is wicketless so far in IPL 2020. However, he has six wickets in three games for CSK vs KKR. Will today be his day?

Stats and Facts

• Matches 24, CSK 14, KKR 9, 1 abandoned.
• KKR (167) beat CSK (157/5) by 10 runs earlier this season. This game was one of the various occasions in IPL 2020 in which CSK couldn’t accelerate when needed.
• Eoin Morgan or Sunil Narine could bat as high as four for KKR to counter the CSK spin-trio of Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja and Imran Tahir. All three spinners primarily turn the ball into the left-hander.
• Plus, when Dinesh Karthik enters the crease before the 10th over in IPL 2020, he struggles: 48 runs in eight innings at an average of 6.00 and a strike rate of 72.73. Second half of the innings: 100 runs at 33.33 and 175.44.
• KKR’s powerplay batting average of 22.45 and scoring rate of 6.86 are both the worst among all teams in IPL 2020. Here, they need to look to avoid losing powerplay wickets – an achilles heel for them in recent times.
• CSK are not far behind with a batting average of 23.71 and scoring rate of 6.91.

Possible Playing 11

Andre Russell is out of the Lankan Premier League due to injury. So, it is unlikely he will feature today. For CSK, they could look to persist with the same team that beat RCB.

Chennai Super Kings: 1. Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2. Faf du Plessis, 3. Ambati Rayudu, 4. MS Dhoni (c & wk), 5. N Jagadeesan, 6. Ravindra Jadeja, 7. Sam Curran, 8. Mitchell Santner, 9. Deepak Chahar, 10. Monu Kumar, 11. Imran Tahir

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

Dubai Pitch and Weather Report

Sunrisers Hyderabad belted 219/2 on this ground two nights ago, showing that the pitch can still be a good one to bat on under lights. The Dubai pitch has been showing signs of slowing down, though, which could make chasing with dew around the preferred option. In fact, the chasing team has won five of the past seven games at Dubai.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Both teams have shown inconsistency in IPL 2020, which makes this match difficult to predict. If KKR show the kind of form they showed two games ago against DC, they will win this match. If they are off their game, CSK, who will play with freedom, have what it takes to win.

Thanks for reading!