CSK vs KKR- 3 Player Battles To Watch Out For

CSK vs KKR- 3 Player Battles To Watch Out For. Chennai Super Kings face off Kolkata Knight Riders in the final of IPL 2021 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday. Both the sides finished at the bottom half of the points table last season. The pundits predicted a similar fate for them in IPL 2021 as well. However, the two teams defied all odds and went on to finish amongst the two best sides in the competition.

CSK are coming into this contest on the back of a four-wicket win over Delhi Capitals in qualifier 1. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders beat both RCB and DC in the Eliminator and Qualifier 2 to reach here.

The two teams have played against each other twice this season. Chennai Super Kings emerged victorious on both occasions. However, it isn’t going to be easy for CSK to make it three wins in a row as Kolkata Knight Riders have played some sensational cricket, of late. It will be interesting to see how the in-form players of both sides fare in the all-important match.

As CSK take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2021 final, we look at three battles to keep an eye on.

CSK vs KKR- 3 Player Battles To Watch Out For

Lockie Ferguson vs Ruturaj Gaikwad

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in scintillating form in IPL 2021. He is currently the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament with 603 runs to his name in 15 matches at an average of 46. 38. Gaikwad is coming into the game on the back of a superb 50-ball 70-run knock against Delhi Capitals in the Qualifier1.

Gaikwad batted twice against KKR this season. His scores in the two games read: 64 (42) and 40 (28). There aren’t a lot of bowlers who have troubled him this season. However, he was often found wanting against sharp bouncers and Lockie Ferguson is expected to bowl him a lot of those on Friday.

Ferguson is bowling at great lengths and picking wickets consistently for the side. The Kiwi pacer has bowled at all stages in the game and delivered every time the team expected him to. Both the players are in great form and one could expect a cracker of a contest between them, especially in the power play.

Josh Hazlewood vs Shubman Gill

Deepak Chahar hasn’t had a lot of success in the second leg of IPL but his partner, Josh Hazlewood has stepped up really well. He has helped the team find wickets early on in the innings. Hazlewood has looked in a great rhythm and has been hitting the right areas consistent.

On Friday, he will be up against Shubman Gill, who has looked in great touch. Gill has managed to score 3 half-centuries in the last five games. The last match against Delhi Capitals saw him scoring 46 runs in as many deliveries.

Shubman Gill has played a lot of shots in the deep mid-on and deep wicket region while dancing down the ground. Josh Hazlewood would be aware of that and will look to counter that in the best possible manner.

Varun Chakravarthy vs MS Dhoni

CSK skipper MS Dhoni facing Varun Chakravarthy will be one of the battles to watch out on Friday. MS Dhoni showed some form in the last game against Delhi Capitals. Needing 13 runs off five deliveries, MS Dhoni struck three fours off Tom Curran to help CSK register a win with two balls to spare. That 6-ball 18 would have given him a world of confidence.

However, it wouldn’t be easy for him to continue his good run as he will be facing Varun Chakravarthy on Friday. Since the 2020 edition of IPL, MS Dhoni has been outfoxed by Varun Chakravarthy thrice on four occasions. The CSK skipper has failed to reach Chakravarthy’s variations.

Eoin Morgan is likely to keep Varun Chakarvarthy’s one or two overs in the death overs, especially for MS Dhoni. It will be interesting to see how MS Dhoni plays the mystery spinner in the big game on Friday.