IPL 2021 Highlights, KKR vs CSK: Chennai Super Kings survive Pat Cummins scare to beat Kolkata Knight Riders

1 Nitish Rana, 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Rahul Tripathi, 4 Eoin Morgan (C), 5 Dinesh Karthik (WK), 6 Sunil Narine, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Kamlesh Nagarkoti, 10 Varun Chakravarthy, 11 Prasidh Krishna

1 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Moeen Ali, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Ambati Rayudu, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni(w/c), 8 Sam Curran, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Lungi Ngidi, 11 Deepak Chahar

Lungi Ngidi replaces Dwayne Bravo, who has been rested. Dhoni says pitch 'looks similar but will be tacky'.

Eoin Morgan: We are going to bowl. Hopefully change of fortunes for us as well. It is normally a very good wicket here and the majority of the games have been competitive. Chasing in Chennai hasn't been fruitful for anyone and chasing at Wankhede is productive. Harbhajan misses out and Nagarkoti comes in.

Morgan has no hesitancy is bowling first, says such has been the trend. Two changes for KKR. Kamlesh Nagarkoti and Sunil Narine get a game, out go Harbhajan Singh and Shakib Al Hasan.

"It has been a bit of an adjustment. The ball has been spinning down there and not a lot of pace, but it has been good as it is a different kind of challenge. If you are a specialist bowler then you have to be ready to bowl in all facets, any over of the game but Morgs like to use me as a wicket-taker and the economy is important while taking those wickets. Everyone is so good these days and if you don't take wickets through the middle, no matter who you are, you are going to go for 15-15 runs an over. Wickets are key any time of the match. For me it is about the feel, in warm up and days before the match, just run in and feel the ball in my hand. It is always a pretty nice place to bowl, if you don't bowl in the right areas, you will go for runs. Look forward to a different challenge."

We're moments away from the all-important toss. Which team will bat first? Who are the 11 players for both teams? Answers coming up shortly.

CSK enjoy the wood over the Knight Riders. The two teams have faced each other 22 times in the IPL, with CSK enjoying a commanding 14-8 lead.

After playing anchor for two seasons, Shubman Gill this year has adopted a more aggressive approach for KKR. His strike-rate of 150 is his highest in four season, which however, has come at the cost of a low average. With India experience behind him, expectations are high from Gill and the youngster needs to not only KKR off to a good start but carry on himself as well.

KKR failed to failed RCB on the Chepauk pitch, slumping to successive defeats in contrasting chases. They face the surging Chennai Super Kings, who brushed aside the Punjab Kings and Royals to show that their defeat to the Capitals was just a blip.

The surface on which the CSK vs KKR game will be played has behaved highly contrastingly this year already. Punjab Kings were bowled out for 106, whereas a total as stiff as 195 has also been chased down in the same deck. Talk about extremes. Anything in the middle and we'll gladly take it.

On current form, no surprises. CSK have looked more and more confident in the last two games, while the same can't be said about the Knight Riders. On current form, expect Dhoni's men to make it three wins in a row. However, do not rule out the Knight Riders. They are the most dangerous when cornered.

Sunil Narine, one of IPL's G.O.A.T.S, is yet to feature for KKR this IPL. Morgan said that he is lined up ahead as KKR's part of plans. Then again, the Knights may not want to wait too long to give Narine a go-ahead in the Playing XI, something which Punjab Kings did with Chris Gayle last year. Give Narine a game and expect some fireworks with the bat as well.

Ruturaj Gaikwad finished IPL 2021 with three fifty-plus scores, but this year, has managed just 20 runs from three innings. With a veteran campaigner in Robin Uthappa in the wings, the three-time champions may just be inclined to hand the experienced batsman his CSK cap.

Kuldeep Yadav the bowler has undergone a lot since he last emerged as a success story. Since the 2019 World Cup, the wrist-spinner has played only a handful of matches, both internationally and in the IPL. KKR may not go with two spinners so the toss up will be between Kuldeep and Varun Chakravarthy. Will the wrist-spinner's wait end tonight?

CSK share a 3-2 win record over KKR as far as the last five IPL matches between the two sides go. Last year, CSK and KKR won a game each as both sides failed to make it to the Playoffs. The year before that, in 2019, CSK defeated KKR in both league games, whereas prior to that, in IPL 2018, it was the Knight Riders who secured a six-wicket win over CSK.

CSK getting eliminated before the Playoffs last year was a rare sight. In fact, it was the first time in history that the Men in Yellow failed to make the Playoffs. This year, they have started well. A defeat to Delhi Capitals wasn't the ideal start but wins over Punjab Kings and the Rajasthan Royals have come at the right time. And there's nothing like a hat-trick of wins early on in the tournament. The Knight Riders better watch out.

• Deepak Chahar is one strike away from completing 50 IPL wickets.
• Suresh Raina needs one more hit to complete 200 IPL sixes
• Ravindra Jadeja is 1 catch away from completing 100 catches across T20s.
• Faf du Plessis needs one more to complete 6000 T20 runs.
• Sam Curran is 1 maximum away from completing 50 sixes across T20s.

Yes, turns out that the Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium is Kolkata Knight Riders' bogey ground. They have played nine matches at the venue, winning just one, which by the way, happened to be the final of the 2012 IPL.

Two places separate Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders on the points table. With four points from three matches - two wins - CSK are placed third behind RCB and the Delhi Capitals. At fourth are Mumbai Indians, followed by KKR at fifth, who have one win and two losses. Can KKR regroup against the lively CSK tonight?

It seems as if the 2019 World Cup was a long time ago. How else do you explains Shakib Al Hasan's troubles this IPL season? He has scored just 38 runs in the three innings that he has batted, while with the ball, Shakib has picked up just two wickets in the three innings that he has bowled.

After an unbeaten 22 off 9 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Dinesh Karthik's bat has gone quiet. In fact, it has been the case for a while now. The wicketkeeper batsman was the leading run-getter for the franchise in IPL 2018 with 498 runs, but form has evaded him since 2020, scoring more than 30 runs just once in his 17 innings. Is it his batting position, or it's lack of confidence in general? Needless to say, his return to form can only mean bright things for KKR, and is needs to come now more than ever.

Ravindra Jadeja is probably the best fielder going around in world cricket at the moment. His fielding efforts and catches are on par with the best in the world. Pulling off stunners in the field and producing direct hits have become synonym with Jadeja. Safe to say, Jadeja the fielder is lined up to produce more magical moments on the field. Will KKR be next on his list?

Will MS Dhoni continue to bat over Sam Curran is one of the things CSK need to address. It's no secret that Dhoni is no longer the batsman he once was, so in such a scenario, how tactically benefitting is it for him to continue to bat over the young Curran, who has shown what he's capable of with the bat. Heck, he almost stunned India in the final ODI in Pune not too long ago and his batting style is ideal for T20. Giving him more time should surely benefit CSK more than bringing them harm.

Faf du Plessis is one run away from completing 6000 T20 runs. However, he faced a big threat in KKR, a side against which he hasn't had the most success. du Plessis has scored 203 runs against KKR at an average of 25.37 which is third worst among all the active teams. He has struggled against KKR spinner, who have dismissed him four times in the past. In fact, FDP is yet to hit a six against KKR spinner, his SR of 98.89 being is the lowest among all attacks.