Defending champions Chennai Super Kings will begin their title defence against Kolkata Knight Riders, in a repeat of last year’s final, as the ball gets rolling for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday evening. (More Cricket News)
With the COVID situation under control, IPL has been scheduled in India in its entirety with at least 25 percent capacity of crowd allowed in stadiums this season.
It will be the first time since 2011 that 10 teams be fighting it out for the most coveted T20 trophy in world cricket. Lucknow Super Giants and Gujarat Titans are the two new entrants.
Just like a new season, it will be a fresh start for both CSK and KKR on Saturday evening as both teams wear new looks after the IPL 2022 auction.
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While talismanic MS Dhoni passed on the captaincy baton to Ravindra Jadeja, KKR will be led by star Shreyas Iyer, who replaced Eoin Morgan.
Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2022 to be played in Australia later this year, IPL 2022 will also decide the fate of a few Indian players.
TEAM NEWS
Chennai Super Kings: It will be interesting to see how Ravindra Jadeja handles the captaincy burden. Although Jadeja has admitted that he has big boots to fill, the all-rounder will benefit from MS Dhoni’s presence. CSK will miss the services of Moeen Ali since the England all-rounder arrived late due to his visa issues. He will have to serve the mandatory COVID protocol of isolation. Injured pacer Deepak Chahar will also miss the IPL 2022 opener.
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Kolkata Knight Riders: The two-time champions are better placed than CSK. While Australians Aaron Finch and Pat Cummins are yet to arrive due to their national duties in Pakistan, the Shreyas Iyer-led side won’t have any selection headaches in the tournament opener. There is enough depth in talent and all eyes will be on Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, who were retained by the franchise.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
In all, 25 matches have been played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Chennai Super Kings have won 17 out of them while the rest were won by Kolkata Knight Riders. The last time CSK met KKR was in the 2021 IPL final in Dubai, MS Dhoni's team won.
VENUE AND PITCH
The CSK vs KKR match in IPL 2022 will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai from 7:30 PM IST. The Wankhede Stadium has witnessed several high-scoring games in the past and come IPL it is likely to remain the same. Also, the shorter boundaries and adequate bounce will make the job easier for batters on this surface.
SQUADS (from)
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja (C), Deepak Chahar, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, KM Asif, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Tushar Deshpande, Ambati Rayudu (wk), Shivan Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Simranjeet Singh, Subhranshu Senapati, Bhagath Varma, Chris Jordan, Hari Nishaanth, Adam Milne, N Jagadeesan (wk), Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, Mitchell Santner, Rajvardhan Hangargekar.
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Kolkata Knight Riders: Shreyas Iyer (C), Andre Russell, Varun Chakravarthy, Sheldon Jackson (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Shivam Mavi, Ajinkya Rahane, Sunil Narine, Chamika Karunaratne, Rinku Singh, Pat Cummins, Rasikh Salam, Baba Inderjith, Anukul Roy, Ashok Sharma, Abhijit Tomar, Mohammad Nabi, Tim Southee, Sam Billings (wk), Umesh Yadav, Aaron Finch, Nitish Rana, Pratham Singh, Ramesh Kumar, Aman Hakim Khan.
KEY PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad: The IPL 2021 Orange Cap winner has been in stellar form in the domestic season. With no Faf du Plessis alongside him this time, expectations will be high on Gaikwad.
Ravindra Jadeja: Ravindra Jadeja has always proved to be vital for CSK. Besides his role as a finisher added with his economical bowling and super-fast fielding, Jadeja will also don the captain’s hat in IPL 2022.
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Dwayne Bravo: CSK bought back West Indies’ Dwayne Bravo in the mega auction last month. He has provided balance to the CSK side with both bat and ball over the years and Jadeja will once again bank on his old friend.
Kolkata Knight Riders
Venkatesh Iyer: Venkatesh Iyer was the found of KKR last season. Iyer’s ability to score at a quick pace while opening and his medium pace will come in handy for KKR.
Shreyas Iyer: He will not only lead KKR in IPL 2022 but also provide stability in the middle-order. He has been in superb form for India recently and will look to carry on the form.
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Sunil Narine: With no Shubman Gill this time, Sunil Narine gives KKR an opening option with Venkatesh Iyer. Narine has opened for KKR before and has been successful besides his spin bowling.
WHERE TO WATCH LIVE
The Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders can be seen live on Star Sports1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Bangla, Star Sports Select 1 and Star Sports Select 1 HD. Disney+ Hotstar will live stream the Chennai Super Kings vs Kolkata Knight Riders encounter from 7:30 PM IST.
