CSK vs KKR IPL 2024 Match Preview, Head-to-head, Possible XIs and Dream11 Team Prediction

Team News

Chennai Super Kings

CSK, after two losses, will be desperate to claim the important two points from this tight fixture. The openers will have the responsibility to provide the team with a solid start just like they did against RCB and GT. Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad struggled to score runs in the last two games which caused a huge problem for the upcoming batters. They will have to start well this time. Shivam Dube is looking brilliant in the middle overs and he is scoring runs continuously for the team.

Ajinkya Rahane will be another important player as he has the role of anchoring the inning as well as hitting those big hits that he had done in the last season. Daryl Mitchell, who is having a slowish start to the season will have to deliver if he gets the opportunity. Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni will be there to take the team to the finish line and they are in fine form.

Eyes on Tomorrow! 👀🎯🔥#CSKvKKR #WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 @Ruutu1331 pic.twitter.com/351FKRuK0J

— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 7, 2024

Matheesha Pathirana was seen in training, with CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons saying he was left out of the last game as a precaution. It is still unclear if he is ready to play on Monday. Mustafizur Rahman who was unavailable for the game against SRH, is set to make his return to the team. Moeen Ali's inclusion is still unclear if he gets another chance, it will be an extra spin option for CSK but Chepauk has been a changed pitch this season too. Deepak Chahar set to lead the pace attack and he would have been delivered a brilliant spell against SRH if Head's catch hadn't drooped by Ali in the first over.

"We aren't overly concerned about Ruturaj. He's a quality cricketer. It hasn't worked out but that's the nature of high-octane cricket. You have to go out there and play with a degree of confidence. You have to go out and play with a degree of risk-taking and it'll come. He's that kind of a person, he's been calm and focused on what he wants to do and there's not much concern in that respect," CSK bowling consultant Eric Simons said ahead of the KKR clash.

Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR are still unbeaten this season, winning all of their three opening matches quite comfortably. A lot of things have gone as planned and one of them is the opening partnership. Sunil Narine and Phil Salt have a strike rate of 172 together which is a lot higher than the previous season. Both the openers are in fine form and it is looking like they are going to have a brilliant season. But, the spotlight will be upon Andre Russell in this fixture.

Russell loves playing against CSK. Four of his 11 IPL fifties have come against them and he is in fine form this season. Rinku Singh is also there to help Russell in the death overs with Venkatesh Iyer and Shreyas Iyer having the responsibility of scoring runs at a good strike rate in the middle overs. Nitish Rana, who hasn't played a single game this season, is in line for a return. But, Angkrish Raghuvanshi might continue to be their Impact Player, swapping in or out for a bowler, especially after that fine debut knock.

Harshit Rana, who didn't bowl in their last match arrived in Chennai with his arm in a sling. So, it is unclear if he will play on Monday but Mitchell Starc will have a huge responsibility. He finally got wickets during the last game but has to improve a lot to justify his price tag. Vaibhav Arora and Varun Chakaravarthy both picked up three wickets each against DC and they will have to replicate that performance once again to put Chennai under pressure.

Possible XIs

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dubey, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, M Theekshana 

Impact Player Subs: Shaik Rasheed, Sameer Rizvi, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, AJ Mandal, Shardul Thakur, A Avanish, RS Hangargekar, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary

Kolkata Knight Riders: Phil Salt (wk), Sunil Narine, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (C), Rinku Singh, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy

Impact Player Subs: KS Bharat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Manish Pandey, Nitish Rana, Sakib Hussain, AS Roy, Sherfane Rutherford, Vaibhav Arora, C Sakariya, D Chameera, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Suyash Sharma, Allah Mohammad

 CSK vs KKR: Dream XI Team Prediction