IPL 2022, CSK vs KKR Highlights: Dhoni's valiant fifty in vain as Kolkata register comfortable six-wicket win

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Shreyas Iyer(c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Sheldon Jackson, Umesh Yadav, Shivam Mavi, Varun Chakaravarthy

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja(c), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni(w), Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tushar Deshpande

For Chennai, Conway, Bravo, Milne and Santner are the four foreign picks.

"Big shoes to fill in. Happy and excited for the new role. We are going with four foreign players," says Jadeja.

"I am super excited. It is a great honour to don this jersey. The players who have been playing for this unit have been doing well," says Shreyas.

"We are going in with three overseas players - Billings, Narine and Russell. Three of us got caps today. Myself, Billings and Rahane."

Kolkata chase at the Wankhede! Shreyas' selection was a no-brainer and Ajinkya Rahane, Sam Billings make their KKR debut.

Kolkata win toss and elect to bowl first. 

Jadeja will be wearing the captain's armband today and it certainly will be an odd sight to see. "Sir" Jadeja begins his captaincy spell with one of the most successful T20 teams. Jadeja is the third player after Dhoni and former CSK batter Suresh Raina to lead the Yellow Unit.

CSK and KKR are set to begin a new chapter in their rivalry. We are moments away from the toss! Hold on to your seats. The IPL jamboree is about to start.

Both sides have a lot of veterans to provide some stability. While Chennai have got an abundance of experience in Dhoni, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu and Dwayne Bravo, Kolkata rely on Sunil Narine and Andre Russell in that spectrum. KKR now also have to experienced faces – Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav.

Red-soil pitches will offer high-scoring encounters, plenty of sixes and hopefully some thrilling finishes. It won't be a surprise if the team batting first posts 200-plus total on the board.

Dhoni's exit from the leadership bunch has fuelled speculation whether he would feature in all the games. He may not be the captain but the talismanic player could be seen orchestrating things from behind the stumps.

It's a repeat of last year's final where the world witnessed Chennai clinch their fourth IPL title. Kolkata will be looking to exact revenge as Shreyas begins his captaincy journey with the two-time champions.

Rajvardhan Hangargekar, who was bought by Chennai for ₹1.5 crore in the recent mega auction, could also make his debut today. The 19-year-old shone in the recent U19 World Cup and also shone. He picked up wickets and hit some towering sixes as well.

Just under an hour to go for toss time! One can sense the excitement for the start of the two-month festival that perhaps will present fans with plenty of memories to cherish.

Also, fans are back in the stadium after a two-year gap. The energy is going to be electric today with shades of yellow and purple in stands.

We could see Narine's mystery spin and his ability to score quick runs and Russell's big-hitting sixes today. Both players were retained by KKR along with Varun Chakravarthy and Venkatesh Iyer.

Sam Billings, who has been a quality wicketkeeper-batter for England and Kent, will be Kolkata's first choice keeper. They also have Sheldon Jackson, who has got plenty of domestic experience under his belt. 

It's all about finding the perfect four overseas alternatives. Narine, Russell and Karunaratne can be the three foreign picks alongside Billings today.

Former India vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is set to begin journey with his new IPL franchise. He may not be a part of the current Test setup, but the experienced batter can come in handy for Kolkata. He's also got the experience of playing on Mumbai pitches. It will be interesting to see his position in the batting order.

"MS can really enjoy his game. He can advise Jadeja without thinking about the over-rate and everything. He can relax now when it comes to responsibilities," says Raina on Star Sports.

Jadeja certainly has got big shoes to fill. Chennai begin quest for fifth IPL title to match Mumbai's record. Mumbai and Chennai have absolutely dominated the league but with two new teams, the competition is going to heat up.

"Dhoni will forever be our captain. But Jadeja has done well in the last few years," says former CSK star on the captaincy transition on Star Sports.

KKR's pace bowling department has got a big setback as New Zealand pacer Tim Southee won't be available for the opener. Pat Cummins is also unavailable due to national commitments and the Umesh Yadav-Shivam Mavi pair has got a task at hand.

CSK opener Ruturaj Gaikwad took home the Orange Cap as he scored 635 runs in 16 games last season. Faf du Plessis, who slammed 633 runs for CSK, fell two runs short of matching the youngster. 

The Purple Cap went to RCB's Harshal Patel, who bagged 32 wickets to equal Dwayne Bravo's record of most plucks in a single IPL season.

"He's a great buy. He could be the franchise player for KKR for the best part of the decade," said KKR coach Brendon McCullum on their new skipper.

Jadeja's stellar form in international cricket over the last couple of years would surely give him the confidence. 

Shreyas has also been in phenomenal touch for India of late. He hit three consecutive fifties against Sri Lanka and clinched player-of-the-series in India's 3-0 rout.