Will KKR improve their poor record against CSK? IPL 2021 Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings: SWOT Analysis

The Kolkata Knight Riders take on the Chennai Super Kings in match 15 of the Indian Premier League at the Wankhede Stadium. While KKR will look to arrest their slide, CSK will look to extend their winning momentum. Here is the analysis of the two teams.

The SWOT for KKR:

Strengths: Fast bowlers have bowled well so far for the team. Andre Russel has picked six wickets. Pat Cummins and Prasidh Krishan have picked four wickets each. Considering that this would be the team’s first match at Wankhede, KKR would want to add an extra fast bowling option in their bowling arsenal. Krishan and Cummins would be a delight to watch at Wankhede.

Weaknesses: Batting is looking shaky again. Only three fifties have been registered by all of the KKR batsmen, and two of those fifties have come from the bat of Nitish Rana. The other fifty was scored by Rahul Tripathi. Shubhman Gill, Eoin Morgan and Shakib Al Hasan are averaging 23.00, 12.66, and 12.66 respectively. Other batsmen should share the burden of getting the runs for the team.

Opportunities: With Harbhajan Singh failing to pick a wicket so far in the tournament, Eoin Morgan could be tempted to beef up the pace department by bringing in either Shivam Mavi or Kamlesh Nagarkoti to exploit the bounce and pace of the Wankhede pitches. One of Nagarkoti or Mavi could feature in this match. Perhaps even Shakib Al Hasan could make way for Lockie Ferguson.

Threats: The team is coming into this match on the back of a loss and this would be KKR’s first match at Wankhede. So, there will be a sense of unfamiliarity for the team considering KKR played its first three matches at MA Chidambaram stadium where the conditions were diametrically opposite. The pressure of a win and unfamiliarity of the conditions will play on the players’ minds.

The SWOT for CSK:

Strengths: Bowling is turning out to be CSK’s strength at the moment. MS Dhoni has used only six bowlers in the three matches that CSK played so far. And all the bowlers are amongst wickets. Deepak Chahar bowled a match-winning spell of 4/13, while Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja combined well against RR. Dwayne Bravo is doing his job of bowling an over or two in the death well. And most importantly, Dhoni is using all the bowers according to a set plan.

Weaknesses: The batsmen haven’t yet performed to the best of their abilities. Only Suresh Raina has hit a fifty among all the CSK batsmen. Opener Ruturaj Gaikwad, who promised plenty of runs ahead of this season has disappointed in the first three matches. Faf du Plessis has been made to sweat hard for runs. Ambati Rayudu is a hit-or-miss player. And it is now clear that at this stage of his career, Dhoni cannot always play thrilling cameos lower down the order.

Opportunities: CSK enjoy a handsome record over KKR. This match provides another opportunity for the men in Yellow to extend their dominance over the men in golden and purple.

Threats: The team is looking in good form for the moment and an untimely injury to a key player could be the only threat to the team.

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 23
KKR:8
CSK: 14
No result: 1

Form guide: Last five matches (most recent first)
CSK: W-W-L-W-W
KKR: L-W-L-W-L

Team news

Neither team has reported fitness concerns.

Deccan Herald’s dream XI

Nitish Rana, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Eoin Morgan (captain), Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Varun Chakravarthy, Pat Cummins, Deepak Chahar, Prasidh Krishna.

Impact player for KKR

Pat Cummins: Considering the conditions, he could have a great day in this match. Cummins could be called in early and bowl to the likes of Suresh Raina and Moeen Ali who don’t like the ball bouncing at them. Expect him to bowl at full tilt and wreak havoc in CSK’s batting line-up.

Impact player for CSK

Moeen Ali: The English all-rounder is CSK’s leading run scorer and top wicket-taker at the moment. Ali has picked four wickets and scored 108 runs. Ali is loving his role as a no. 3 batsman in the CSK setup. At the top of the order, Ali is getting runs at a brisk pace. CSK was missing a power hitter at the top of the order. Ali is also loving his spin bowling in tandem with Ravindra Jadeja. If the early season form is anything to go by, Ali could be in contention for the Most Valuable Player of the Season award.