KKR vs CSK 33rd Match Prediction

KKR vs CSK Team Previews

Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders have seen a sharp dip in form over the last week, losing 3 consecutive matches. As a result, they have fallen off the top-4 and now find themselves in the bottom-3. Nitish Rana as captain is a bit one-dimensional and makes some truly bizarre decisions on the field.

Playing without some of their key players including Shreyas Iyer and Shakib Al-Hasan, the Kolkata Knight Riders saw some good performances with the bat from the likes of Venkatesh Iyer, Nitesh Rana, and Rinku Singh, which saw them win a couple of games.

However, the lack of big names in the top order has dented the team’s performance in the last few matches.

KKR has roped in Jason Roy as a replacement for Shakib, while Litton Das too has joined the squad and we hope to see a few good performances from them in the upcoming matches. The fact is that KKR has been helped by some close (miraculous) wins to its name and that is not something that you can depend on.

In particular, its bowling lineup seems to be the worst in IPL 2023. 

The spinners, Varun Chakaravarthy, Sunil Narine, and Suyash Sharma have done a good job so far, picking up 21 wickets between them. But KKR is a bit lacking in the pace attack as Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, and Lockie Ferguson have all struggled to pick up wickets.

It does not help that the Eden Gardens has served up brilliant batting wickets with very little help for the spinners so far. 

Chennai Super Kings

After losing the season-opener against the Gujarat Titans, the Chennai Super Kings have won 4 of their last 5 outings and have emerged as one of the most consistent performers in all departments.

Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad have put up some good opening partnerships in the last few matches to lay a solid foundation for the team. Conway in particular appears to be in sublime form and has scored consecutive half-centuries in his last 3 outings.

The Kiwi opener has solified his reputation for being one of the most bankable batters in T20 cricket at the moment.

The middle order looks pretty solid too, thanks to the presence of Shivam Dube, Ajinkya Rahane, and Ambati Rayudu, while Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni will once again take up the role of a finisher. Jadeja has been brilliant with the ball, picking up 9 wickets in 6 matches, and has been very economical. He has received good support from Moeen Ali.

In the pace department, Tushar Deshpande has picked up 10 wickets but has been very expensive. He will be joined by Akash Singh and Matheesha Pathirana, both of whom can pick up wickets at regular intervals. 

It must be mentioned here that MS Dhoni's captaincy p[lays such a vital role in making the most of his resources. Year after year, he has managed to get the best out of bowlers that other teams have discarded. Now that he has a team which shows excellent batting intent, it looks like he is comfortable taking on all kinds of opposition in different conditions.