CSK vs KKR Match Preview- IPL 2021 Match 38

CSK vs KKR Match Preview- IPL 2021 Match 38. Table-toppers, Chennai Super Kings will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the 38^th match of IPL 2021 on Sunday. The two teams played against each other earlier as well this season.

Chennai Super Kings batted first in that game and notched a mammoth 220-run total, thanks to a couple of outstanding knocks from Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad. Kolkata Knight Riders also fought hard in the second innings, however, they fell 18 runs short of the target.

The two teams will once again take on each other at Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Sunday. Here’s a look at how both the teams have performed thus far in the tournament.

CSK vs KKR Match Preview- IPL 2021 Match 38

Chennai Super Kings

Prior to the start of IPL 2021, there were question marks over CSK’s ability to bounce back after enduring a torrid run last year. Chennai Super Kings, certainly have put all those doubts to rest as they have performed quite brilliantly this season. Out of 9 matches, they have managed to 7 games and thus currently find themselves at the top of the table.

CSK have won both the games they have played in UAE thus far. They began their UAE campaign with a 20-run victory over Mumbai Indians. CSK played their last game against RCB in Sharjah and secured a six-wicket win. Ruturaj Gaikwad has been the standout performer with the bat. He top-scored for the side in both the last two games. Faf du Plessis also chipped in with some runs in the last game.

CSK shouldn’t be having any problem as far as their batting is concerned. Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu have been contributing valuable runs in the middle order. Much to the delight of CSK fans, MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina both hit a couple of boundaries each and stayed unbeaten in the last game. That will give some confidence to both the senior batsmen in the team.

Dwayne Bravo and Shardul Thakur have ensured CSK pick wickets in the middle overs and not allow the opposition to capitalize during that stage of the innings. Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood are doing a pretty good job in the powerplay. Dwayne Bravo has taken 6 wickets in the last two games, while Thakur and Chahar have picked two each.

Full Squad: MS Dhoni (capt), Ambati Rayudu, C Hari Nishanth, Cheteshwar Pujara, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Harisankar Reddy, Imran Tahir, Josh Hazlewood, K Bhagath Varma, K Gowtham, Karn Sharma, KM Asif, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Moeen Ali, Narayan Jagadeesan, R Sai Kishore, Ravindra Jadeja, Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Suresh Raina.

Kolkata Knight Riders:

Kolkata Knight Riders have been equally brilliant in the second leg of IPL 2021. They have played two games in the second leg and won both of them. A collective effort from the team has helped them climb to the fourth position on the points table with 4 wins in 9 matches. They would be keen to build the position from here on.

KKR have unearthed a new gem in Venkatesh Iyer this season. The KKR opener has impressed everyone with his range of shots and aggressive style of play. He scored a match-winning 42 off 27 against RCB before scoring a half-century in the last game against Mumbai Indians. Shubman Gill and Rahul Tripathi too, have played brilliantly in the last two games.

As far as bowling is concerned, Prasidh Krishna and Lockie Ferguson have been the biggest threats to the opposition. They have used their pace to great effect in Abu Dhabi and it has come as a great boost for them. Ferguson picked two wickets each in the last two games in UAE, while Krishna picked three.

Andre Russell picked three wickets against RCB, before leaking plenty of runs against MI. He would be looking to make a strong comeback on Sunday.

Full Squad: Eoin Morgan, Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Kuldeep Yadav, Lockie Ferguson, Nitish Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Sandeep Warrier, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi, Varun Chakravarthy, Pawan Negi, Tim Seifert, Shakib al Hasan, Sheldon Jackson, Vaibhav Arora, Karun Nair, Harbhajan Singh, Ben Cutting, Venkatesh Iyer, Tim Southee.