RESULT
38th Match, Abu Dhabi, September 26, 2021, Indian Premier League

CSK won by 2 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)

Player Of The Match
22 (8) & 1/21
ravindra-jadeja
Cricinfo's MVP
81.55 ptsImpact List
ravindra-jadeja
Preview

Super Kings, Knight Riders look to keep red-hot UAE streak alive

Dhoni's team is closing in on the playoffs but Morgan's men are beginning to come together brilliantly

The top order has been the big reason for Knight Riders' turnaround  •  BCCI

The top order has been the big reason for Knight Riders' turnaround  •  BCCI

Big picture

These are two teams in red-hot form, and they come into the game having beaten Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians, respectively, in their last games. So, when Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders face-off in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, it could well be a high-octane encounter.
Knight Riders did not have the greatest of starts to the season. They had won just two out of seven games and were at the bottom of the table coming into the UAE leg of IPL 2021. And now, they are at No. 4 on the table and, given their current form, they are among genuine contenders for the playoffs.
So, what has changed for them? One, the addition of Venkatesh Iyer, who has done well in both games so far - his 94 runs have come at a strike rate of 164.91 - and has significantly bumped up the Knight Riders' scoring rate, especially in the powerplay. At the top, Shubman Gill had a good game against Royal Challengers and No. 3 Rahul Tripathi scored a 42-ball 74 not out against Mumbai Indians. Their bowling has been up to the task in the last couple of games too - Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine have been bowling frugal spells and the quicks have struck regularly.
However, the middle order has continued to stutter. Eoin Morgan's form, especially, has hurt them. Of the eight teams, the Knight Riders' middle-order batters (Nos. 4 to 6) were the slowest during the first leg with a strike rate of 120. They have not had to worry about it in the last two games, as the top order has done the job, but their opponents will back themselves if they get the top three out cheaply.
As for Super Kings, there doesn't seem to be anything to worry about. They are in second spot on the table, the bowling is clicking beautifully, and the runs have been coming exactly as needed. They would want to keep the wins coming and seal the playoffs spot as soon as possible.

Likely XIs

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Moeen Ali, 3 Suresh Raina, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Kolkata Knight Riders: 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Venkatesh Iyer, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Nitish Rana, 5 Eoin Morgan (capt), 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Andre Russell, 8 Sunil Narine, 9 Lockie Ferguson, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Varun Chakravarthy.

Strategy punt

  • Super Kings are one of Andre Russell's favourite opponents: he averages 46.7 against them in the IPL overall, and has scored four half-centuries in the last six matches against them. Russell almost took the game away from Super Kings in the first leg, when he hit 54 off 22 balls before Sam Curran sent him back. Russell also has a superb strike rate against most of the Super Kings bowlers - 214 against Dwayne Bravo, 186 against Ravindra Jadeja, 327 against Shardul Thakur; Knight Riders might want to send him in earlier than usual, given a chance, to make the most of the middle overs, where the three of Bravo, Jadeja and Thakur are expected to bowl.
  • Stats that matter

    • Super Kings have won four out of their last five fixtures against Knight Riders
    • In the first leg of IPL 2021, Knight Riders' run rate in the powerplay was 7.4, the third-lowest among the eight teams. They seem to have turned it around, thanks to the quick starts by Iyer and Gill. In the UAE leg of IPL 2021 so far, their run rate in the phase is 9.9, the best of the eight teams.
    • Dinesh Karthik needs 54 more to tally 4000 runs in the IPL.
    • Sruthi Ravindranath is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

      Language
      English
      Win Probability
      CSK 100%
      KKRCSK
      100%50%100%KKR InningsCSK Innings

      Over 20 • CSK 172/8

      Sam Curran c sub (KL Nagarkoti) b Narine 4 (4b 0x4 0x6 13m) SR: 100
      W
      Ravindra Jadeja lbw b Narine 22 (8b 2x4 2x6 21m) SR: 275
      W
      CSK won by 2 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
      Powered by Smart Stats
      AskESPNcricinfo Logo
      Instant answers to T20 questions
      CSK Innings
      <1 / 3>
      Indian Premier League
      TEAMMWLPTNRR
      DC14104200.481
      CSK1495180.455
      RCB149518-0.140
      KKR1477140.587
      MI1477140.116
      PBKS146812-0.001
      RR145910-0.993
      SRH143116-0.545