Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai in the 61st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 tonight i.e. Sunday, May 14 at 7:30 PM IST.
CSK are in a good position in the standings and the MS Dhoni-led side will be looking to secure one of the top two spots before heading into the playoffs. The four-time IPL champions have 15 points from 11 games and are comfortably placed second. However, with Mumbai Indians (MI) winning back-to-back games, CSK will want to win their remaining games to strengthen their position. Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad consistently give excellent starts in the Powerplay, followed by Ajinkya Rahane in the middle overs to Shivam Dube and MSD destroying bowlers at the end of the innings. Deepak Chahar has strengthened the already established bowling department in the bowling department. Mateisha Pathirana and Tushar Despande have been outstanding in recent matches and will look to emulate their efforts tonight.
Kolkata, on the other hand, would humbly suffer a loss against Rajasthan Royals (RR). With their chances of making the play-offs of the competition looking slim, the team are keen to get back to winning ways. KKR are still in contention mathematically, but a defeat in Chennai will officially end their season. KKR are 8th in the points table with 10 points and would like to earn the remaining four points with two games remaining. It was an unforgettable contest against RR, but KKR will be confident of continuing their strong run of form against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Jason Roy have to bowl outside the Powerplay. Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh are in top form while Andre Russell needs to be more consistent. With the ball, there are only limited resources for Rana as the pacers are not performing well. But when it comes to spinners, Varun Chakraborty and Sunil Narine need no explanation on how to bowl. KKR will need a huge win in Chennai to boost their playoff chances.
Head to head:
In terms of abundant competition, CSK has a significant advantage over KKR. The two franchises have faced each other 28 times, with Chennai and KKR winning 18 and nine matches respectively. In their last outing earlier this season, CSK won by 49 runs.
Where to watch?
TV: Star Sports Network
OTT: JioCinema