What absolute carnage from SRH yesterday against RR. It was a nightmare outing for Rajasthan and one of those perfect days for Hyderabad where everything just clicked. Ishan Kishan played a brilliant innings, setting the tone, while Praful Hinge completely changed the game with the ball.
That’s exactly what SRH needed—a quality fast bowler stepping up. Picking up 4/34 on debut is a dream start for any bowler, and he made it count by dismissing key players. He got rid of Vaibhav Suryavanshi early, then removed Dhruv Jurel and Lhuan-dre Pretorius, before finishing with the big wicket of captain Riyan Parag.
No one really expected this level of dominance from SRH, but they delivered in style. A complete performance.
Now, we move on to today’s game as Rivalry Week continues in the Tata IPL, with CSK taking on KKR in Chennai. CSK are finally riding a bit of momentum after securing their first win of the season against DC, while KKR are still struggling, yet to register a win in their four matches so far.
It’s a battle of the bottom two, as both teams fight to move away from the foot of the table at the start of Week 3. Who would have imagined that two multi-time champions would find themselves in this position? But then again, it’s only the beginning of the tournament.
The IPL has seen plenty of comebacks before—MI went on to win the title in 2015 after losing their first four games, RCB made the playoffs in 2024 after losing 7 of their first 8, KKR themselves reached the final in 2021 after winning just 2 of their first 7 matches, and CSK won their first title in 2010 after a similar start. So, nothing is impossible in the IPL.
But for now, the focus is on today’s clash—a game that could decide who stays at the bottom of the table and who takes a step forward. Let’s take a look at everything you need to know.
Expected Playing 11:
CSK:
- Sanju Samson (WK)
- Ruturaj Gaikwad (C)
- Ayush Mhatre
- Dewald Brevis
- Shivam Dube
- Sarfaraz Khan
- Jamie Overton
- Akeal Hosain
- Noor Ahmed
- Anshul Khamboj
- Gurjapneet Singh
Impact Player- Khaleel Ahmed
Mahendra Singh Dhoni is not expected to take the field today as he is yet to fully recover. There is a possibility he could return for the match against SRH, but nothing is confirmed yet.
KKR:
- Ajinkhya Rahane (C)
- Finn Allen
- Angkrish Raghuvanshi (WK)
- Cameron Green
- Rinku Singh
- Rovman Powell
- Ramandeep Singh
- Sunil Narine
- Anukul Roy
- Navdeep Saini
- Kartik Tyagi
Impact Player- Vaibhav Arora
Head to Head:
| Matches- | 32 |
| CSK Won- | 20 |
| KKR Won- | 11 |
| No Result- | 1 |
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
Chepauk isn’t the spin haven it once was, but this red-soil pitch can still assist spinners and slower bowlers, especially in the second innings as it slows down. The match will be played on Pitch 6, as reported by ESPN. Teams batting first have had more success here, with around 75% of matches being won by the side defending. In fact, 3 of the last 4 night games have been won by teams batting first, so defending looks like the preferred option. With heatwave conditions across parts of Southern India, dew is unlikely to play a big role. The temperature is expected to be around 29°C in the evening.
Prediction:
For the first time this season, you can confidently say that CSK have a strong chance of winning this match—and they do. CSK seem to have finally found a combination that works for them, and they’ll be hoping it wasn’t just a one-match wonder. While both teams have struggled so far, KKR have looked slightly worse off than CSK.
KKR, despite losing a close game to LSG, were actually in control for most of that match, but their bowling let them down in the final three overs after doing well for the first 17. CSK, on the other hand, had a near-perfect outing in their last match—Sanju Samson looked back in form, the fielding was sharp, and the bowlers stepped up to restrict DC to 189. If they can replicate that performance, we might start to see glimpses of the old CSK again, but for now, they’ll need to deliver once more against a struggling KKR side.
If you want to see CSK host KKR in Chennai, then tune into JioHotstar at 7:30 PM IST.
Until next time!
Thank you.
SlogVlog 