Chennai Super Kings are due for a massive change, with MS Dhoni ready to take charge as he steps in for an injured Ruturaj Gaikwad. They are set to play their fourth game at their home at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, and exiting this phase of the competition of the tournament with just one win under their belt would be disastrous for a team that prides its performances at home. Will turning back to their iconic captain help them dig deep and carve their way back?
Their attempts to rescue this season will continue as they face off against Kolkata Knight Riders, a team which has also struggled thus far this season despite being defending champions. That being said, KKR are slightly more comfortable, only one win away from returning to an even win-loss record. Despite conceding 238 to LSG at Eden Gardens in their last match, their batting found some spark as they fell only four runs short. Their failure so far this tournament has been an inability to string wins together, but at the same time, they have ensured they haven’t fallen into losing ruts either.
On the other hand, CSK have slipped to four consecutive losses since their opening win against MI. It’s hard to drag a team out of this kind of losing streak, but equally, the law of averages dictates that even weaker teams pull off a result at this kind of stage. CSK will be very aware that it’s not over: they missed out on last year’s playoffs as RCB formulated a charge to the top four from a very similar position. Can CSK take a page out of their rival’s notebook and inspire a push?
There will need to be some changes made, particularly to the batting, which has been a structural failure and will now also miss its best batter in Ruturaj Gaikwad. There's a lot of work to do to replace someone of his calibre, especially in a unit that has already struggled. Will CSK turn back to Rahul Tripathi to play at number three, or will the young and promising Shaik Rasheed find an opportunity?
{{/usCountry}}There will need to be some changes made, particularly to the batting, which has been a structural failure and will now also miss its best batter in Ruturaj Gaikwad. There's a lot of work to do to replace someone of his calibre, especially in a unit that has already struggled. Will CSK turn back to Rahul Tripathi to play at number three, or will the young and promising Shaik Rasheed find an opportunity?
{{/usCountry}}Moreover, it will be interesting to see how CSK use MS Dhoni, and whether he will come out to bat at number 5 as he did against PBKS. In a stuttering batting order, his experience and hitting ability might be of greater use in that role.
KKR could meanwhile once again opt to bring in an extra spin option in Moeen Ali, something they have done on occasion this tournament. This would mean Spencer Johnson sits out at the spin-friendly environment in Chennai, but will also provide a boost to their batting, even if that has been a relatively stronger suit. Outside of this, KKR look unlikely to tinker much, but a lot will depend on the form of Varun Chakravarthy and Sunil Narine.
Likely XIs
CSK likely XI: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni, Vijay Shankar, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesa Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed
KKR likely XI: Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Moeen Ali, Rinku Singh, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy