IPL 2019 – Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders taking place? Tuesday 9th April, 15:30 (UK)
Where is Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders taking place? MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
What is the expected weather for Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders? Warm temperatures of 28-30c with no rain forecast
What channel is Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders on? This match will be televised live on BT Sport 1
Where can I stream Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders? BT Sport subscribers can stream the match on the BT Sport app
Where can I get tickets for Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders? https://www.iplt20.com/schedule
THE STATISTICS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
All-time meetings: Chennai Super Kings W12, Kolkata Knight Riders W8, No result 1
Last meeting: Kolkata Knight Riders beat Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Coach: Stephen Fleming
Captain: MS Dhoni
- This top of the table clash will be a fascinating one in Chennai and the home side will be keen to stamp their authority on the tournament against KKR, and much like in their match against Kings XI Punjab at the weekend, the Super Kings will be looking to take advantage of their spin-friendly home pitches.
- Following the excellent display against Kings XI, the Super Kings could be tempted to name an unchanged side as they will have been heartened by the performances of the incoming overseas duo of Faf du Plessis and Scott Kuggeleijn.
- The spin trio of Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir will be vital once again and if the Super Kings do win the toss, they will be keen to bowl first and restrict KKR to a modest score without them sampling the conditions in the field first.
KOLKATA KNIGHT RIDERS
Coach: Jacques Kallis
Captain: Dinesh Karthik
- Kolkata Knight Riders have been the revelation of IPL 2019 so far having won four of their five matches, building an outstanding net run rate of 1.058, and they come off a thrashing of the Rajasthan Royals by eight wickets on Sunday.
- KKR’s last three matches have all been on the road and they have acclimatised well to the conditions they have faced but they have yet to play on the type of pitch they are likely to encounter in Chennai which will test them significantly.
- Harry Gurney came into the side against the Royals and that paid off nicely as the English left-arm pace bowler impressed far more than Lockie Ferguson had done so he should keep his place, while they will hope their spin trio of Narine, Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav can just effective on this track.
THE PREDICTION
There is little to separate the performances of these two teams in the opening half of IPL 2019 other than KKR’s outstanding net run rate. Their batting has been superb so far but that will be tested on the Chennai pitch that will play much slower than any they have played on so far. Home advantage for Chennai is massive and combined with the fact that the home team has won the last four meetings between these two teams, suggests the Super Kings could have the edge here.
