As the Indian Premier League 2025 nears its business end, the Eden Gardens in Kolkata gears up to host a blockbuster clash between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 7. This match marks the 57th of the season and is a must-win for both sides, especially with playoff hopes on the line.
KKR, currently placed sixth with five wins in eleven games, are coming off a nail-biting one-run win over Rajasthan Royals. The victory, driven by a crucial knock from Andre Russell, has injected momentum into their campaign. With a strong home crowd behind them, they’ll look to solidify their spot in the top half of the table.
In contrast, CSK are enduring one of their toughest IPL seasons, languishing at the bottom with just two wins in eleven outings. Their latest heartbreaker—a two-run defeat against Royal Challengers Bengaluru—saw a fighting 94-run knock from young Ayush Mhatre go in vain.
WATCH – Jasprit Bumrah Cleans Up Shubman Gill With A Peach in Rain-Hit Thriller at Wankhede
Historically, CSK have dominated this rivalry with 20 wins from 31 clashes. However, KKR did register a resounding eight-wicket win earlier this season and will aim to replicate that performance. At Eden Gardens, though, CSK still hold a slight edge with six wins to KKR’s four.
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)
Kolkata Knight Riders’ spin duo, Sunil Narine and Varun Chakaravarthy, have been a nightmare for Chennai Super Kings’ middle-order batters. Only Shivam Dube and Sam Curran have managed to strike above 100 against Chakaravarthy and Narine respectively, highlighting how effective KKR’s spin attack has been in past encounters.
Probable XII: Sunil Narine, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ajinkya Rahane (c), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell, Anukul Roy, Harshit Rana, Vaibhav Arora, Varun Chakaravarthy.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
In a blow to CSK, young talent Vansh Bedi has been ruled out due to injury. Urvil Patel has been roped in as his replacement and is expected to join the playing XI soon, especially since Bedi was on the cusp of making his debut. Meanwhile, KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane has been in fine form this season, leading the team’s run charts. However, his vulnerability to spin could be exposed—while he averages a whopping 104.5 and strikes at 174.17 against pace, his numbers against spin drop significantly, averaging just 16.86 with a strike rate of 114.56. Expect CSK’s spinners to target him early.
Probable XII: Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda/Urvil Patel, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj
Fantasy XI Suggestion 1:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ajinkya Rahane, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Sunil Narine (c), Sam Curran (vc), Ravindra Jadeja, Andre Russell, Noor Ahmad, Varun Chakravarthy, Matheesha Pathirana
Fantasy XI Suggestion 2:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Ravindra Jadeja (c), Andre Russell (vc), Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Harshit Rana, Matheesha Pathirana
