FANTASY
Follow UsNOTE: All stats updated till 19 April 2021
Kolkata Knight Riders will take on Chennai Super Kings in Match 15 of the Indian Premier League 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Wednesday (April 21). CSK are coming into this encounter having won their last two games against Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals with utmost ease, while Kolkata have lost their previous two games.
IPL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 24 | KKR – 9 Wins | CSK – 15 Wins
Last 5 Matches: KKR – 2 Wins | CSK – 3 Wins
SUGGESTED TEAMS
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms, we have come up with one team.
GROUND DETAILS AND TEAM COMBINATION
The Wankhede Stadium has hosted six encounters so far this season and four of them have been won by the side batting second. The batsmen here have scored at an average of 27 and at a run-rate of 8.8. Meanwhile, bowlers have picked up a wicket every 18.3 deliveries. The surface is perfect for batting but there's something for the bowlers as well. There will be some swing on offer early in the innings and that's where the likes of Deepak Chahar, Sam Curran and Pat Cummins could come into play.
The fast bowlers have dominated the proceedings so far at this venue and it would be ideal to have at least four-five seamers, including fast-bowling all-rounders, in your XI. They (8.7) have been more expensive than the spinners (8.5) but have a way better average (25 v 51.9) and strike rate (17.1 v 36.6). However, Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali did make an impact against Rajasthan Royals, so it would be ideal to have a couple of spinners too.
CAPTAIN SUGGESTION
Moeen Ali has found a new home in Chennai Super Kings. The spin-bowling all-rounder has played only three games for the franchise but has already become one of the most important members of the side this season. Moeen is Chennai's leading run-scorer this season and has been batting at No. 3. The offspinner also has four wickets to his name, with three of them coming in the last encounters. The 33-year-old is someone who could fetch you points in all three facets of the game and is an ideal candidate for "captaincy".
X-FACTORS
Ravindra Jadeja did everything against Rajasthan. There was hardly an over in the second innings where he wasn't on the screen. The left-hander could only score 8 but managed to pick up two wickets in the second innings. If that was not enough, he also picked up four catches. He walked out to bat ahead of MS Dhoni, which means Chennai are going to use his batting expertise much more than they did in the previous seasons. Just like Moeen, Jadeja is a gun all-rounder and could prove to be a handy pick in your XI.
Andre Russell has been far from his best this season but will enjoy playing on the flat Wankhede surface. He managed to smack a couple of sixes against RCB and would now look to make a bigger impact on a pitch that will suit his ferocious batting style. Russell has done well against Chennai in the past, having scored 226 runs at an average of 45.2 and a strike rate of 161.4. On top of that, Russell bowls only at the death and could end up taking at least a couple of wickets.
Nitish Rana has been Kolkata's best batsman so far this season. The left-hander has scored 155 runs in three innings at an average of 51.66 and a strike rate of 135.96. Rana has two fifties to his name and has looked in fine touch every time he has come out to bat. He slammed 80 against Hyderabad and then followed it up with a knock of 57 against Mumbai. He only managed 18 against Bangalore but would fancy his chances against Chennai on a flat surface.
