CSK can upset another team's play-off plans | IPL 2020 Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders: SWOT Analysis

The Kolkata Knight Riders take on the Chennai Super Kings in match 49 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Here's the analysis. 

The SWOT for CSK

Strengths: They have nothing to lose since they are eliminated from the tournament. They should compete with freedom while beginning to plan for next year. 

Weaknesses: CSK have been the weakest this season in batting and in the bowling to an extent. They also haven't been able to find solutions to their many issues. 

Opportunities: Ruturaj Gaikwad finally came good with the bat in the previous match. Monu Kumar and Mitchell Santner could be given more chances. Anyone left on the bench should be tried out now like R Sai Kishore. 

Threats: They are without worries apart from trying to avoid eighth place. It's tough to do at this point.

The SWOT for KKR

Strengths: The bowlers have found form but will that be enough? Varun Chakravarthy, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Kagarkoti, Prasidh Krishna, Lockie Ferguson, Pat Cummins and Sunil Narine have all made contributions so far.  

Weaknesses: The batsmen’s poor form has let them down. Match after match, the story has been of batting failures. The KKR batting has scored just nine fifties. And now, a play-off spot may be lost. 

Opportunities: Chakravarthy's performances have been good to see.

Threats: The race for the play-offs is tight and there's a real chance they could be pushed out. KXIP are already ahead of them and SRH have a better net run rate. 

Head to head:

Matches Played: 24

Chennai Super Kings: 15

Kolkata Knight Riders: 9

Last five matches (most recent first):

Chennai Super Kings: W-L-L-L-W

Kolkata Knight Riders: L-W-L-W-L

What happened in the reverse fixture?

Rahul Tripathi’s 81 set up an emphatic 10-run win. 

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

Faf du Plessis, Nitish Rana, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Eoin Morgan, MS Dhoni, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Lockie Ferguson, Prasidh Krishna, Deepak Chahar, Varun Chakravarthy

Team news

No injuries reported from the CSK camp. KKR would hope again that Andre Russell can return. 

Ground conditions

The sky will be hazy with the temperature around 27 degrees Celsius. The humidity will be about 44% with evening winds.

Impact player for CSK

Sam Curran: With 13 wickets and 173 runs, Sam Curran has CSK's best bet this season. He is always up for a challenge and can bat and bowl during any phase of a match. 

Impact player for KKR

Varun Chakravarthy: He has been KKR's find of the tournament and is the team’s leading wicket-taker with 13 scalps. He is also the only bowler to take a five-for in this year’s IPL. 

How to watch

The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also catch the action online on Disney+Hotstar. The match begins at 7.30 PM IST.