3 player battles to watch out for in CSK vs KKR, Match 61 of IPL 2023
The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in Match 61 of the IPL 2023 season at the Chepauk on Sunday. The two teams have had contrasting seasons, but the game is crucial for both for different reasons.
Chennai are on 15 points at the time of writing and a win would seal their place in the playoffs. MS Dhoni and Co. wouldn't really want a slip-up at home which would then put them in probably a do-or-die situation in their last game.
KKR, on the other hand, faced a crushing defeat in their previous game against the Rajasthan Royals and will need to win their remaining games to keep the slim hopes of playoffs alive. They just cannot afford another flat performance, especially against Chennai in their own den.
On that note, let's take a look at the three match-ups that could decide the flow of the game:
#3 Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Sunil Narine
Ruturaj Gaikwad is the joint-fastest player to reach 1500 runs in IPL 🏏
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Ruturaj Gaikwad this season seems to have worked harder on getting CSK off to a flying start. While he may not have many big scores to his name, he has given CSK some quickfire starts and that have helped them immensely.
Kolkata are in a tricky situation with legendary spinner Sunil Narine as he hasn't quite lived up to the billing this season. However, the Chepauk pitch might just have enough turn in it to keep Narine interested.
Gaikwad has scored 55 runs off 39 balls bowled by Narine to him in T20s. But the fact that Narine has also dismissed the right-hander once will be something that will give him hope.
#2 Andre Russell vs Ravindra Jadeja
Andre Russell won the Player of the Match award for his match-winning knock 👏
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Andre Russell has played quite a few cameos for KKR this season, but there have been times when he would probably agree that the shots he played to get dismissed weren't necessarily needed at that point. Russell seems to have a weakness against the ball turning away from him and that makes his match-up with Ravindra Jadeja an interesting one.
The explosive all-rounder has a great record against Jadeja in all T20s, as he has scored 69 runs in just 38 balls. However, Jadeja has also dismissed him twice and it may not be easy for Russell to just hit through the line on the Chepauk pitch which offers a bit of grip and turn to the spinners.
#1 MS Dhoni vs Varun Chakravarthy
KKR made a smart move by using Varun Chakravarthy at the death in their win against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on a slow pitch. With Chepauk likely to offer similar conditions, Kolkata might be tempted to hold Chakravarthy back.
This could also mean that he could be bowling to CSK skipper MS Dhoni and that could be an advantage to the visitors. Chakravarthy has conceded just 16 runs against the legendary batter and has dismissed him thrice. CSK would be wary of this negative match-up, while KKR would want to take full advantage.