(Info4now, March 24, 2022)- IPL 2021 started in India and the second wave of corona immediately intervened in the process. So the second half of the tournament moved to UAE and a reaffirmed Kolkata Knight Riders found their way to reach the final. Eoin Morgan took over the captaincy and a vocal Dinesh Karthik behind the wicket play an excellent leading role to control the guys to grow confidence in them. As the opening match CSK vs KKR to take place at Wankhede, it’s the responsibility of that KKR to give a strong fight against four times champion Chennai Super Kings.
Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, lost Faf du Plessis and it’s interesting to see how it affects the team. It might be a soft move regarding the age of du Plessis; but as the opening combination has always been a key in IPL over the years, we have to wait. They have good records against KKR, especially at the start of the tournament, and therefore might claim a little edge.
Preview: CSK vs KKR Match 1, IPL 2022
M.S.Dhoni leaves captaincy and hands it over to experienced Ravindra Jadeja. It clearly indicates that this IPL 2022 is going to be his last appearance in any form of cricket. As long as he remains behind the wicket, Jadeja will continue to receive assistance. Devon Conway will probably replace Faf du Plessis in the opening slot. He is a fantastic timer of red ball and must be very enthusiastic to pair Ruturaj Gaikwad in yellow.
Chennai possess an excellent middle order with Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and M.S.Dhoni. Down the order Dwayne Bravo to come in and I don’t know how fit he is at this moment. If Deepak Chahar is not fit, someone has to gear up as the power play bowler. It’s a little bit weak, so far the bowling department is concerned.
Both Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan have tried their best to make the most of the playing XI since the start of the post Gambhir era. So Shreyas Iyer is chosen to lead from the front keeping in mind his below thirty enthusiasm. He has a mammoth task to handle if his batting is not a problem. In the middle order, KKR will be relaxed with Shreyas Iyer and Sam Billings to take charge. For Saturday’s game, it’s an easy choice to introduce Ajinkya Rahane as the opener along with Venkatesh Iyer in the absence of Aaron Finch.
Andre Russell should bowl at least two overs for KKR so that they can easily play Umesh Yadav. Umesh Yadav is not in rhythm and is out of the International squad for long. But his loose schedule of cricket must be utilized by KKR camp. Pat Cummins even being rested in the limited over format against Pakistan, might take time to join the camp. Tim Southee may take the charge in the earlier games.
To Conclude
The CSK vs KKR match to be played at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai and it’s a ground where a side choses to chase. It’s not a long ground and it’s the first game. So there is a routine chance of balls coming to bat nicely, especially in the second half. Apart from being a tournament opener, the debut of two captains for their respective franchises will be in the focus in the CSK vs KKR contest.
Probable XI: Kolkata Knight Riders
Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Nitish Rana, Shreyas Iyer, Sam Billings, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi and Varun Chakaravarthy.
Chennai Super Kings Squad: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Chris Jordan, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande, Deepak Chahar, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangarkekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, K Bhagath Varma.