In the 38th Match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 able-topper Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be locking horns with fourth-placed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first match of Sunday’s doubleheader in the UAE leg of the ongoing season. Unlike the IPL 2020, when they failed to make it to the playoffs, CSK has been in phenomenal form in the season and is sitting at second place with seven wins in nine games.
CSK started off their UAE campaign on a positive note as they registered comfortable wins against Mumbai Indians (MI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), and are just one win away from sealing a playoff spot. On the other hand, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have looked at a completely different outfit in the second leg in comparison to the India leg of the tournament.
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In their first leg of the UAE leg, KKR first completely outplayed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by 9 wickets in the opening fixture and then smashed MI bowlers all over the park in their dominant win by 7 wickets win in the second outing in Abu Dhabi. With four wins in five matches, KKR is comfortably sitting at the fourth spot and needs three victories in their remaining five encounters.
There will be interesting player battles to watch out for and here we take a look at 3 of them.
#1 Ruturaj Gaekwad vs Prasidh Krishna
Ruturaj Gaekwad is one of the most crucial cogs for CSK as he is performing well in the UAE leg of the IPL 2021. In 9 innings, he has amassed 322 runs with 3 half-centuries. He will be looking for another good knock against KKR. Prasidh Krishna will have the responsibility to dismiss Gaekwad early. Their battle will be interesting to watch.
#2 Shubman Gill vs Deepak Chahar
Shubman Gill vs Deepak Chahar will be another interesting battle to watch out for as Shubman Gill is the 3rd highest run-getter for the team, with 193 runs from 9 games. On the other hand, Deepak Chahar is the top wicket-taker for CSK with 11 wickets in 9 matches. The right-arm pacer has managed to dismiss many crucial opposition batsmen with his bowling so far. He will seek to dismiss Shubman Gill at the start, so as to give a big blow to KKR in the batting department.
#3 MS Dhoni vs Varun Chakaravarthy
Under the captaincy of MS Dhoni, CSK had reached the 2nd place spot in the points table after the first leg of the IPL 2021 in India. The wicket-keeper batsman has mustered 51 runs in 6 innings. Since he bats at a lower-middle order, he is most likely to face KKR spinner, Varun Chakravarthy.
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Varun Chakaravarthhhy is the most crucial bowler for KKR and also one of the best in the IPL 2021 so far. With the spin-friendly conditions in the UAE, Rashid Varun will get more assistance while bowling. Dhoni has the ability to smash big shots while Varun Chakravarthy can be a huge threat with his googly. Their battle will be interesting to watch.
