The match 61 of IPL 2023 between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday, 14th May promises to be an exciting contest. Chennai is on the second position in the points table, while Kolkata is on the eighth position.
CSK, led by MS Dhoni, have won seven and lost four matches so far, while KKR, captained by Nitish Rana, have won five and seven matches in their campaign. In their last match, CSK secured a comfortable win against the Delhi Capitals (DC). Meanwhile, KKR suffered a huge loss against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in their last match.
Two highly skilled teams are set to collide in what promises to be an exciting match. With both the teams eager to secure their eighth and sixth win in the IPL 2023. Both teams have played twelve matches in this season. Chennai has won 18 games, while Kolkata has won 9 games so far in the head to head encounters.
Also Read: Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders: Who Will Win Today Match in IPL 2023?
Here are three player battles to watch out for during CSK vs KKR match:
1) Devon Conway vs Varun Chakravarthy
Devon Conway has been in phenomenal form this season, scoring 468 runs at an average of 52.0. However, he will have to deal with the threat of Varun Chakravarthy early on in the powerplay. Chakravarthy has been impressive this season, taking 17 wickets at an average of 20.88. While Chakravarthy did dismiss Conway earlier in the season, Conway had already scored a quickfire 56 off 40 balls.
2) Rinku Singh vs Matheesha Pathirana
Rinku Singh has emerged as a promising talent in this year’s IPL and he will face CSK’s Matheesha Pathirana in the death overs. Singh is the highest run-scorer in overs 17-20, having scored 190 runs at a strike rate of 184.46. Pathirana has taken 12 out of his 13 wickets this season during this phase of the game and has an economy rate of 8.28.
3) Shivam Dube vs Andre Russell
Shivam Dube has resurrected his career at CSK this season, scoring 315 runs at a strike rate of 159.90. However, he has struggled against pacers this season, getting dismissed by them eight times in 10 innings. Andre Russell has also dismissed him once in their only IPL meeting. Russell has taken seven wickets this season at an average of 22.85.