Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings Predictions: IPL2021 15th Match Preview

Looking at their teams, one wouldn’t have expected these two teams to be in the positions they are in at the moment, yet here we are. KKR are down in 5th place and look like they’re struggling, while CSK is up in second after two surprisingly commanding victories. Both teams need more wins, though, and this will be an important match that either breaks Kolkata’s morale down further or becomes a stumble in CSK’s thus-far auspicious journey. Before two aging keepers from two international powerhouses go out to the middle for the toss, let’s take a look at how their sides have been doing.

Kolkata Knight Riders

Predicted XI vs Chennai Super Kings

Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Pat Cummins, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna, Harbhajan Singh.

Kolkata Knight Riders team preview and form

KKR just can’t seem to get into that winning groove despite having plenty of talent on board. Asked to bowl against RCB in their last match, Only Varun Chakravarthy managed to take two wickets, and only Prasidh Krishna and Pat Cummings could keep things relatively tidy. The other bowlers, including Varun, were absolutely slaughtered as RCB put up a massive 204. On the chase, despite some players having the right intent, others just couldn’t keep up with the fast-paced batting required, and with Andre Russel’s 31 off 20 being the highest score among several cameos, KKR could only get to 166. 

Kolkata Knight Riders key players vs Chennai Super Kings

Nitish Rana: Rana Is in good form, and as long as there isn’t tremendous pressure as there was last time, he should be able to perform well again.

Shubman Gill: Gill made a great start last match, but couldn’t take it bigger. This time, we think he will.

Pat Cummins: The Mumbai pitch has some bounce to offer, and Cummins has the pace to exploit that bounce.

Andre Russell: Although bludgeoned around last match, Dre Russ is a wily old customer.

Chennai Super Kings

Predicted XI vs Kolkata Knight Riders

MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur, Moeen Ali, Dwayne Bravo, Suresh Raina, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Cheteshwar Pujara, Deepak Chahar.

Chennai Super Kings team preview and form

CSK are somehow doing what they, on paper, shouldn’t be able to. Batting first against RR, they had a number of cameos much like KKR’s aforementioned innings, except more in number. Faf du Plessis’ 33 off 17 was the highest, and Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, and Dwayne Bravo all got in on the action to get CSK to a strong 188. On the defense, Moeen Ali bowled superbly to get figures of 3-0-7-3, and with two wickets each from Sam Curran and Ravindra Jadeja and some miserly bowling from all three, CSK were able to strangle their opponents to just 143 for a 45-run win. 

Chennai Super Kings key players vs Kolkata Knight Riders

Faf du Plessis: This is a man who just doesn’t give up, and keeps delivering.

Moeen Ali: The English all-rounder has been scoring runs better than far more celebrated batsmen - and bowling better than regular bowlers.

Dwayne Bravo: The West Indian champion still has full control of his skills.

Ravindra Jadeja: A utility player through and through, Jadeja is useful to whichever team he plays for.

Kolkata Knight Riders vs Chennai Super Kings pitch report and weather conditions

Things at the Wankhede Stadium seem to have gone back to normal, with batsmen finding plenty of runs and bowlers relatively struggling. Expect teams to choose to bowl first upon winning the toss so as to avoid the dew factor as well as have a better idea of how they need to approach the innings. First innings scores of 190+ are nothing extraordinary. 

As has been usual, it will be a warm, breezy, and pleasant night for cricket under the lights in Mumbai.

Can the Knight Riders bounce back after two consecutive defeats? Or will the Super Kings continue their winning ways? Find out if our KKR versus CSK predictions come true on Wednesday!