IPL 5 Preview: Kolkata Knight Riders Vs Chennai Super Kings Match 63

Delhi Daredevils will be looking to avenge their loss  in the reverse fixture to CSK when they host Dhoni’s men on Monday, May 14, 2012.

A win will virtually seal KKR’s spot in the play off round, while a loss would be the end of CSK’s campaign. Needing 10 wins to be assured of a spot, CSK have 7 wins and a draw from 14 matches, while KKR have eight wins and a draw from 13 games played so far.

Hilfenhaus has proved to be the shot in the arm that the CSK campaign needed and at the Eden Gardens, the Australian new ball operator could prove key to his side’s fortunes. Additionally, Dhoni will be pleased with the form of his top order men who seem to be peaking at the right time. Hussey, Vijay and Raina are all looking good, and even without Du Plessis, the batting is looking ominous, with the likes of Bravo, Dhoni and Jadeja bringing up the late middle order.

But the match is likely to be decided by the battle between the Chennai batsmen and the Kolkata bowlers and in familiar home conditions, KKR would fancy themselves, while dismissing Rohit Sharma’s assault on their bowlers in the last game as an aberration. The likes of Sunil Narine and Shakib could prove a handful on a spin friendly track at the Eden, and the huge size of the the ground could neutralise CSK’s big hitters to an extent.

KKR would want to forget put what happened against MI in Chennai behind them and Sahkib who proved the pick of the bowlers could retain his place. But KKR’s weak underbelly has been their batting and Gambhir would be cheered by the fact that Kallis and Pathan worked themselves into a degree of form against MI, arguably the best outcome of that game for the hosts.

That said, CSK will be the more desperate on the day and that promises to make this game an intriguing contest.

Tags: Australia, Chennai Super Kings, CSK, Delhi Daredevils, Dhoni, IPL, KKR, Preview

Category: Cricket, IPL News