Chennai: Chennai Super Kings would look to build on the momentum gained from a much-needed victory in their previous match when they host a winless Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League here on Tuesday.
CSK logged their first win of the season on the back of an all-round performance against Delhi Capitals that included Sanju Samson’s first impactful knock, a 56-ball 115, for the storied franchise and a fine bowling effort.
A fit-again Dewald Brevis allowed CSK to tweak their bowling combination, making it possible for the side to defend 212 against Delhi Capitals.
Left-arm pacer Gurjapneet Singh impressed on his IPL debut, hitting the batters high on the bat and surprising them with extra bounce.
Jamie Overton too came into his own and was rewarded for hitting the deck consistently with a four-wicket haul.
Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, playing his first game of the season, added another dimension to the attack in the powerplay.
On the batting front, Samson finally has runs under his belt in his debut season for CSK, giving him the required confidence to go ballistic in the first six overs.
However, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is yet to fire and he would be backing himself for a big knock against a struggling KKR.
At the start of the tournament, it was announced that Mahendra Singh Dhoni would be out for couple of weeks due to a calf strain. In the last game, Gaikwad indicated that ‘Thala’s’ return is imminent.
KKR, on the other hand, are desperate for success. They almost got the job done against Lucknow Super Giants but Mukul Choudhary played a blinder of a knock to deny Ajinkya Rahane and his team.
Cameron Green finally bowled for KKR in the previous game. The all-rounder would be aiming to justify his enormous price tag with a statement performance at Chepauk.
Likewise, Rinku Singh is in search of runs in the middle-order and Tuesday could be his day.
Rahane himself has been decent with the bat while Ankrish Raghuvanshi has also stood out for KKR.
Rovman Powell and Green got some runs as well against LSG late in the innings, which is another positive for the beleaguered side.
Having bowled really well upfront, Vaibhav Arora bore the brunt of Choudhary’s assault in KKR’s previous game, including a decisive six over deep cover in the final over of the game.
KKR were almost there against LSG and would be hoping to the cross the line against CSK to get off the mark in this IPL.
