IPL 2021: KKR vs CSK | Predicting the top 3 batsmen
A resurgent Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on the hurting Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday, April 21. After winning their opening game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata went for a tumble in their next couple of games against Mumbai and Bangalore.
CSK, on the other hand, have gone from strength to strength in IPL 2021, winning two back-to-back games. Both teams, filled with superstars, will be keen to get momentum on their side, and with that in mind, we take a shot at predicting the top three run-scorers when the two teams meet.
#1 CSK skipper MS Dhoni
Batsmen of MS Dhoni's caliber don't need mega knocks to get going in the tournament. With their middle order still settling down, that's where Dhoni decided to spend some time in CSK's previous game.
Against the Rajasthan Royals, the skipper played a sedate 17-ball 18 laced with two boundaries, but kept the scoreboard ticking as they amassed 188 for 9 in their 20 overs.
There were glimpses of Dhoni trying to return to his old self, and should he bat up the order, there could be some fireworks expected.
Get the IPL prediction for today's match here.
#2 Andre Russell
Andre Russell's 20-ball 31 against Bangalore might have gone in vain when both sides met last week, but the brutish knock served as a warning to the competition that he was ready to take them on.
While the Jamaican might have been expensive with the ball, with AB de Villiers carting him all over the park, this is the same player who also took a fifer this IPL.
45 runs from three games is ideally not the number one would associate with the hard-hitting Windies star, but with his counter-attacking knock, there's every chance that he might just fire on all cylinders for Kolkata.
#3 Suresh Raina
After announcing himself in IPL 2021 with a fifty in CSK's first game against Delhi, the southpaw seems to have gone a tad off color, with scores of 8 and 18. However, the manner of his dismissals suggests he brought about his own fall, and the experienced campaigner will be keen to set things right by getting some solid runs under his belt against KKR.
Batting at No. 4 this season for CSK, Raina will lend considerable stability to the team's middle order and allow them to opt between having him construct a solid innings or be unleashed for a final flourish.