IPL 5 – Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings – Match Preview
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) will be up against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) today in the 63rd fixture of the fifth season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
Not much separates these two teams as both have been playing superb cricket since the last couple of weeks. KKR is currently placed at number two on the points table with 17 points after 13 matches and many cricket analysts, including
Deccan Chargers’ skipper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KC-Sangakkara-c1779, rate KKR as the hot-favourites to clinch the title for the first time.
With three league matches still to be played, KKR is almost certain to make it to the last four of the tournament and now it is just about maintaining the consistency in the performance.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BB-McCullum-c1129 have found form recently, which augurs well for the franchise, as the tournament
is coming close to the deciding stages. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mumbai-c820 Indians, which is another good sign for Kolkata.
The best thing about KKR in the current season has been the fact that it has not relied on individual brilliances; instead a whole-hearted team effort has been the secret behind its success.
Gambhir has cleverly used the off-spinner from Trinidad & Tobago, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869, who has been nothing less than a revolution in the on-going season. Narine has bamboozled even the best in the business and CSK will surely find it extremely
hard to tackle with the wily young spinner, who has loads of variations under his belt.
On the other side of the coin, with 15 points in 14 matches, it is a must-win game for the defending champions and a loss will cost http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MS-Dhoni-c2028 and company the title.
CSK’s premier batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942 understands the situation for his team but claimed that his team is at its best when it has its back against the wall. Today is definitely a big match for CSK and it will come out with all guns
blazing.
"We cannot be thinking about the final as yet. We have two more matches to go in the league phase and need to win them. But, having experience in playing these types of matches and winning under pressure, we have good experience in
the big matches as well," Hussey said.
Aussie fast bowler, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BW-Hilfenhaus-c1204 has turned out to be a game-changer for CSK in last couple of matches. He has been able to swing the new ball and Hussey believes that Hilfenaus can make the difference at the start of the innings.
Hussey expressed, "He [Hilfenhaus] has been able to get those early wickets and has given fantastic starts, putting the opposition under pressure. Ben's action is different to that of Bollinger. But, Ben is very good at swinging the
brand new ball. It is an asset, though his action is a little different.”
There is nothing much to chose between the two teams and it is impossible to pick a winner before the match. KKR has a slight edge because of current form and home advantage but CSK is a team which can never be underestimated in any
situation.
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