IPL preview: CSK look to go one up, KKR hope to make home advantage count

R Ashwin played an important role as CSK restricted KKR

KKR (Lost to CSK)

What went wrong: Batting. Chasing 135 for victory against Chennai Super Kings in their last game, Kolkata were 52/1 after five overs. Some sensible batting from thereon would have taken them home. The defending champions panicked instead. They played into MS Dhoni’s hands. Robin Uthappa, Manish Pandey and Suryakumar Yadav got out to poor shots. Lack of international experience in the middle-order was exposed. Someone had to hold one end tight. Kolkata had no one up for the job. Their batting fizzled, losing seven wickets for 64 runs.

What went right: Bowling. Kolkata had two new entrants in their last game. Pat Cummins came in for Morne Morkel and responded well after a couple of expensive overs. Sunil Narine’s replacement, 44-year-old Brad Hogg, was outstanding. There’s a huge question mark over Narine’s future after he has been banned from bowling his off-spinners. But Kolkata have Hogg for rescue.

CSK (Beat KKR)

What went right: Chennai had been winning their matches convincingly. Against Kolkata, they were put under pressure and Dhoni revelled in it. In fact, defending a modest 134, the whole team raised their game several notches. The unpredictability of the T20 format notwithstanding, Chennai will cruise to the playoffs. They needed a stern test ahead of that. They were stretched but came through with flying colours.

What went wrong: R Ashwin’s injury is a serious concern. The off-spinner suffered a split finger in the last game and will be unavailable for the next two matches. Ashwin is Chennai’s trump card. His two-over spell against Kolkata at Chepauk had changed the game. Ravindra Jadeja and Suresh Raina now have the extra workload. Dhoni usually doesn’t like to experiment much. So it would be interesting to see how makes up for the loss. Rahul Sharma and Samuel Badree are there as back-ups, but playing the West Indian leggie might upset the balance of the team. Chennai have a well settled overseas quartet.

Conclusion

Eden Gardens pitch will be a lot flatter than what was on offer at Chepauk two days back. More than 60,000 fans will cheer for the hosts. Kolkata, after successive losses, must make the home advantage count. But Chennai are a different kettle of fish. Equation is pretty even between the two teams here. Three-all in six matches. Chennai, however, will carry the winning momentum.