Kolkata: Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s possible final hurrah at the Eden Gardens will be a captivating sub-plot when Kolkata Knight Riders square off against Chennai Super Kings in a must-win clash in front of a crowd expected to be draped in yellow, here on Wednesday.
While five-time champions CSK are already out of the playoff race, Dhoni remains at the helm, and his presence alone is expected to turn Eden yellow, despite the match being on KKR’s home turf.
For a city where Dhoni has deep personal ties — his in-laws live here, and it is where he played much of his junior cricket — Wednesday could end up being emotionally charged for both the 43-year-old and his fans.
The Eden Gardens has witnessed many of Dhoni’s milestones, from his maiden first-class century to two of his six Test hundreds.
He has also played club cricket here, including a memorable P Sen Trophy final for Shambazar Club.
So, when the iconic No.7 walks out on May 7, many will wonder if it’s the last time Dhoni plays at this historic venue.
Dhoni, who took responsibility for CSK’s narrow two-run loss to RCB in their previous match, is no longer the dominant force he once was.
Despite being in a strong position at 172/2 while chasing 214, CSK fell short in the final over.
Dhoni was dismissed by Yash Dayal off the third ball of the last over, managing 12 runs off 8 balls. He later took the “blame” for the loss.
But for the fans, Dhoni is still an emotion, and a strong one at that.
While it’s a do-or-die game for KKR, who must win all their remaining three matches to stay in playoffs contention, the match will be more about celebrating Dhoni’s legacy than the result.
KKR currently have 11 points, and winning all three of their remaining games will take them to 17. Even then, qualification could come down to net run-rate and other results.
KKR’s remaining fixtures — against Sunrisers Hyderabad and RCB (both away) — are tricky. Coming off a thrilling one-run win over Rajasthan Royals, KKR will look to build on that momentum.
Andre Russell’s return to form was crucial in that game, and the Ajinkya Rahane-led KKR will hope that Venkatesh Iyer, who has been under scrutiny for his Rs 23.75-crore price tag, can also find his rhythm, possibly drawing inspiration from the Jamaican’s explosive unbeaten fifty.
Russell’s match-up against spinners will be important, especially with CSK likely to use Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin on a surface that offers a bit of grip.
Despite being out of the playoff race, CSK, on the other hand, are unlikely to make it easy for the home team.
With Dhoni still captaining and young players like Ayush Mhatre eager to make a mark, CSK will look to play a fearless brand of cricket.
The biggest positive for CSK this season has been the emergence of 17-year-old Mhatre.
Signed as a replacement for injured skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad, Mhatre, who had never played a domestic T20 and went unsold at the mega auction, made an immediate impact with a quick-fire 32 off 15 balls against Mumbai Indians.
But his standout performance came against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he struck a brilliant 94 off 48 balls.
While CSK lost that match narrowly, Mhatre’s innings under pressure was one of the most impressive by a debutant this season.
Teams (from):
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Rinku Singh, Quinton de Kock (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Luvnith Sisodia, Venkatesh Iyer, Anukul Roy, Moeen Ali, Ramandeep Singh, Andre Russell, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Mayank Markande, Spencer Johnson, Harshit Rana, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakaravarthy and Chetan Sakariya.
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (c, wk), Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Anshul Kamboj, R Ashwin, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Gopal, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, C Andre Siddarth, Vansh Bedi.
Match starts at 7.30 PM.
