Super Kings look to boost Playoff chances, KKR chase glory in must-win duel

MS Dhoni

Four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will clash with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in an Indian Premier League match here on Sunday aiming for a win and strengthen their chances of sealing a Playoffs berth.

The Super Kings with 15 points (12 matches) are better placed to go through to the next stage, while KKR (10 points) need to win their two remaining games and hope other results go their way.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni's team comes into the match with two wins on the bounce and, like always, will be tough to beat at their ‘den'.

Also Read: 'MS Dhoni from 2040' spotted in stands during CSK vs PBKS, Twitter reacts in shock

The opening batters Devon Conway (420 runs) and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been providing solid starts. Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube have been benefitting from the clarity of roles they have been assigned and been vital cogs in the CSK batting line-up. The bowlers, Matheesha Pathirana in particular, have done the job for the skipper. Tushar Deshpande, albeit expensive, has managed to pick up wickets. The spinners - Jadeja, Moeen and Maheesh Theekshana - have been effective in putting the squeeze on opposition batters as the Delhi team found out on Wednesday.

KKR will also fancy their chances based on the presence of spinners, who have made an impact. How Varun Chakravarthy and leg-spinner Suyash Sharma bowl on Sunday could well decide the outcome of the match. The experienced Sunil Narine has been off-colour for a major part of the IPL season and will look to make amends.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever