A tale of Super Kings and Arabian K‘nights’

After three successive losses, MS Dhoni-led CSK earned a positive result against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), in its previous league game in Dubai. Super Kings had a perfect outing versus Kings XI, thanks to the opening combination of Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson.

South African du Plessis has been in terrific touch, scoring 282 runs at an average of more than 90. The 36-year-old would be keen to come good once again, while Watson will take confidence from his unbeaten half-century. The Australian had struggled for form in the first four games. CSK’s middle-order, comprising Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav and Dhoni, is yet to click as a unit and would hope to dominate the KKR attack.

West Indian all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, who has made his way into the playing eleven after recovering from an injury, has provided more balance to the Super Kings side. The pace-bowling department, consisting of Deepak Chahar, Sam Curran and Shardul Thakur, performed well against KXIP, restricting the opposition to a par score. It will aim to keep the good work going, while spinners Piyush Chawla and Ravindra Jadeja are yet to weave their magic in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Chennai’s opponent Kolkata comes into the game on the back of a loss against Delhi Capitals (DC) in Sharjah. Its captain Dinesh Karthik will have to address a lot of issues if KKR is to get the better of CSK. Karthik himself has found runs hard to come by in IPL 2020, making just 37 in four matches.

The batting order has been a topic of discussion as many feel Eoin Morgan and Andre Russell are being underused by the team management. The think tank, led by head coach Brendon McCullum, would look to extract more from the duo. Domestic players Shubman Gill and Nitish Rana have shown promising signs and would want to score heavily again.

Opener Sunil Narine has been poor so far, but is unlikely to be displaced from the top of the order. Speedster Pat Cummins will lead the bowling pack, which also possesses youngsters Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Shivam Mavi as well as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy.