KKR
Wounded Knights and fallen Kings clash for survival
KKR will look to get back to winning ways against a beleaguered CSK when they clash tomorrow in IPL Season 18 with all eyes set on the home team’s finisher Thalaiva.
As far as the Knight Riders are concerned, they will be smarting from their narrow loss against Luck Super Giants on their home turf and will be desperate to put their name on the winning column, hurting CSK with their chips down. Historically, CSK had the better of KKR, with the Yellow Brigade winning 18 of their 28 encounters.
But tomorrow is a new day, and KKR will need their bowlers to come to the party. Against a hostile LSG batting attack, KKR bowling succumbed like nine pins. Only Varun Chakravarthy gave some resistance. This has to improve on a CA Chidambaram pitch that is no longer spin-friendly as it was before. But it will surely be a slow pitch where setting a target is a good idea, leaving it on the bowlers to defend. Spencer Johnson surely needs to be rested, and Moen Ali could be a clever substitute.
Up the order, it will not be a bad idea to try Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The boy has guts and could be the X-factor. If KKR chases having Angkrish as an Impact Sub is a good idea. Only his boyish exuberance needs to be reigned in.
KKR also needs Ramandep Singh and Andre Russell to get rid of their inertia and look like a serious threat in the lower order, or the job becomes too heavy for skipper Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer and Rinku Singh.
For CSK a course correction is in order. A lot of the focus will be on veteran Mahendra Singh Dhoni, as a finisher despite his cameos. The likes of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube got some welcome runs, and they will be hoping to get some more. Skipper Rituraj Gaikwad needs to lead with more guile and game-reading. The fact that his form is also down is a distraction.
The bowling will not change much with Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, and Matheesha Pathirana handling the pace department and the trio of R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad hoping to work their magic.
KKR has two wins from 5 and CSK one. So when the heavyweights slug it out tomorrow, it will be a clash of thin margins.
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