CSK vs KKR 61st Match Prediction

CSK vs KKR Team Previews

Chennai Super Kings

After a terrible outing in the last season, the Chennai Super Kings are back to their old self and have lost just 4 of the 12 matches played so far. As a result, they have 15 points against their name on the points table and a win here will guarantee them a spot in the next stage.

The Super Kings have a pretty strong batting line-up at their disposal. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been pretty consistent at the top of the order and have given the team some good starts. They are also the top run-getters for the team so far.

Shivam Dube has come a long way since his debut in 2019 and has been a solid performer in the middle order. His six-hitting ability seems to have been unlocked by some clever usage. He is one of the most dangerous middle-over batters in the entire league right now.

Ajinkya Rahane has also played some blazing knocks, while all-rounders Ravindra Jadeja and Mooen Ali add plenty of depth to the batting. MS Dhoni's brilliance at the death where he faces just a handful of deliveries but seems to maximize them is also something that adds a lot to the CSK lineup.

The seamers have done a brilliant job for the team.

Tushar Deshpande has picked up 19 wickets so far and is one of the primary contenders for the Purple Cap. Matheesha Pathirana has emerged as a good replacement for Dwayne Bravo at the death of the innings.

In the spin department, Ravindra Jadeja has picked up 16 wickets and has received decent support from Moeen Ali and Maheesh Theekshana. This squad was built to dominate at home and that is exactly what they are going. Stopping them is going to be very difficult. 

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders, despite missing some of their key players, played out of their skins to get a good shot at making it to the playoffs. However, their campaign received a body blow in their latest campaign as they suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals.

While they did miss out on 2 important points there, their NRR fell drastically too, making it practically impossible to recover now.

The Kolkata Knight Riders will need their openers, Jason Roy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz to give them a good start here. Perhaps good might be understating it because both Roy and Gurbaz need to attack and set up a strong platform for the rest of the players.With CSk's bowling a bit vulnerable up front, this could be a good time to back them.

Nitesh Rana and Venkatesh Iyer have played well in patches but have lacked consistency in playing match-winning innings. Rinku Singh has undoubtedly been the find of the season for KKR as he has taken up the role of a finisher with aplomb. All three of these players are good against spin and might be key to combating the in-form Ravindra Jadeja.

The poor form of Andre Russell with the bat has cost KKR quite a few matches. The team also lacks depth in its batting, especially when compared to their opponents here. Russell has had a poor IPL 2023 so far but is this the time when he comes back into form? We don't think so.

Varun Chakaravarthy has been the standout performer with the ball this season and is the leading wicket-taker for the team with 17 wickets.

Sunil Narine has struggled to pick wickets and has been unusually expensive. Similarly, Suyash Sharma, Harshit Rana, and Shardul Thakur have all struggled this season. The one area where KKR could seen opportunity is its spin department. If the pitch is slow, Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Suyash Sharma could be very difficult to face.