IPL 2021 Match 15 – Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings Betting Preview

IPL 2021: Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets.

Match Details
Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Wednesday, April 21st, 2021
16:00 SA Time

Betting Preview

The 15th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) sees two former champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) go head to head at the Wankhede. It is the second match of the Wednesday double-header. The two teams have a fierce history between them. CSK have the upper hand historically, with 14 wins out of 23 meetings. KKR are coming into the match with two consecutive losses while CSK have won their last two games.

Kolkata Knight Riders, after winning the first game, have lost their last two matches against Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore. They lost from a winning position against MI while RCB’s Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers completely outplayed them in the third game. KKR have been tactically accurate generally but their batting needs some fixing. Eoin Morgan’s form could be a concern while not sticking with Dinesh Karthik as a finisher has cost them. Andre Russell seems to have regained his form with the bat in his 20-ball-31 knock against RCB. Sunil Narine could well return for the match against CSK.

Chennai Super Kings, on the other hand, have bounced back in a vintage style after their first loss, beating Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals comprehensively. Moeen Ali shined for them once again with the bat and the ball. Moeen scored 26 off 20 and helped dismantle RR’s middle order with 3 wickets for 7 in his three overs. Sam Curran has quickly become one of their most bankable players while Ravindra Jadeja picking up wickets in the middle overs is a great sign. Faf du Plessis’ form could be vital for them against KKR’s pace attack.

Injury and Availability News

According to the KKR Coach Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine wasn’t 100% fit but he’s all clear to play now. CSK’s replacement player Jason Behrendorff arrived in India on Sunday but won’t be available for the match due to the mandatory quarantine period.

Probable Playing XI

Kolkata Knight Riders

Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Pat Cummins, Sunil Narine, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.

Chennai Super Kings

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo.

Pitch and Conditions

Known for outstanding batting surfaces, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has produced plenty of high scoring games this season and is likely to continue. The average first innings score at the venue in IPL 2021 is 174.

Key Players to Watch Out For

Eoin Morgan: The World Cup winning captain of England took over KKR captaincy reigns in the middle of the season last year. There’s huge pressure on him to deliver both as a captain and as a batter. Morgan was KKR’s best batsman in IPL 2020 with 418 runs at a 42 average and 138 strike rate. However, he needs to turn things around after a bad start to this season.

Dinesh Karthik: The wicket-keeper batsman is one of the best finishers in T20 cricket possessing an extraordinary range in hitting. Karthik has scored 950 runs in the death overs (17-20) phase in his IPL career at an outstanding strike rate of 181. With no leg-spin threat in the CSK line up, Karthik has the opportunity to go big in this match.

Faf du Plessis: The South African stylish batsman has done a great job for CSK at the top of the order. du Plessis was CSK’s highest run-scorer in IPL 2020 with 449 runs at 40.8 average and 140 strike rate. He scored 33 runs off 17 balls against RR and seemed to have gained his form back. du Plessis will look to take on KKR pacers on a good batting surface of Wankhede Stadium.

Moeen Ali: An off-spin all-rounder who offers enormous value to the team. Moeen has made the most of the opportunity given by the Chennai Super Kings. In IPL 2021, Moeen has scored 108 runs in three innings at a magnificent strike rate of 144 and has also picked up 4 wickets. Ali could be vital for CSK with three left-handers in the KKR batting line up

What Bets To Take

Kolkata Knight Riders

Nitish Rana to be KKR’s top batsman at 3.75.

Kuldeep Yadav to be KKR’s top bowler at 3.60.

Chennai Super Kings

Faf du Plessis to be CSK’s top batsman at 3.75.

Deepak Chahar to be CSK’s top bowler at 3.75.

Prediction: Kolkata Knight Riders/Chennai Super Kings to win at 1.86.