Kolkata and Chennai will meet in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium to strengthen their position in the points table. If Chennai wins, it will be their 3rd straight win and 3rd straight loss for Kolkata.
Match Timings: April 21, 7:30 PM IST
Team Preview
It doesn't matter how you started the season. It matters how you carry this form and this equation gets relevant for Kolkata and Chennai. Kolkata reached Mumbai to start their Mumbai leg after disappointing performances at Chepauk. Kolkata won their opening game but lost the next two, while Chennai lost the opening game but won the next two. Consistency is a big thing to find glory in this tournament and Kolkata is missing it badly.
In the previous game, they started very well by picking two wickets early but conceded easy runs in middle-overs. In the last 3 overs, they conceded 56 runs and it hurt them while chasing. The batting unit exposed one more time and they couldn’t deliver. With one 30 plus score, you cannot chase down 200 plus total and a 38-run defeat will also hurt their NRR. Kolkata will surely make changes for this game and Harbhajan Singh will be replaced by either Mavi or Nagarkoti. Ferguson would be a better pick if Kolkata looks to better their pace-attack. Only one change looks possible here for Kolkata.
Meanwhile, Chennai made a dull start to this season but improved very well in the next two games. They won two out of three matches in Mumbai, a surface which doesn’t suit their style. The last two victories also boosted their NRR. In the previous game, the spinner did a good job which is a great sign for their upcoming games outside Mumbai. Batting needs improvement and they need to find a better choice in the opening slot. Uthappa may replace Gaikwad for this fixture. Batting depth is their strong part as they have the batting till number 10. Bravo also looked better in the last game with the bat and ball which a good sign for Chennai. If overseas players perform for Chennai, they always have a great season. There will be no change in Chennai except for Gaikwad. Chennai looks favourite here with their recent success over Kolkata.
Pitch Report
Mumbai’s track is now a decent T20 track and it offers good assistance to batsmen and bowlers. Even we saw spinners in command in the previous game. Pacers will trouble with the new ball. Chasing will be an ideal call but it would be tricky if the target is above 180.
Possible XI
Chennai
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Kolkata
Nitish Rana, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan (c), Shakib Al Hasan, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Pat Cummins, Harbhajan Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy
Key Players
Chennai
Moeen Ali
Handy pick, 108 runs & 4 wickets in three matches so far
Sam Curran
A game-changer with both bat and ball
Kolkata
Nitish Rana
155 runs in 3 innings at Chepauk, having a top form
Pat Cummins
Ideal track to get swing with the new ball. 4 wickets so far
