IPL 2021: CricTracker expert Manvinder Bisla predicts KKR to win against CSK

The 39^th match of the Indian premier League is currently underway between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders in Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Both CSK and KKR, who are playing their first day game in the UAE leg, are coming into the contest with wins over RCB and MI in their previous fixtures.

Ranked at No. 2 with 14 points, CSK look nearly set for a playoff qualification, while KKR have jumped after their victory over Mumbai Indians to the fourth spot themselves.

Winning the toss in Abu Dhabi, KKR skipper Eoin Morgan opted to bat first with an unchanged XI, while CSK brought in Sam Curran for Dwayne Bravo. “We are going to bat first; we don’t have any changes. Will be a different challenge as it’s a day game. There’s more pace in the wicket as compared to the last year. In this sort of heat, it might get slower later,” KKR skipper Eoin Morgan said.

“We have one change – Curran comes in for Bravo. He had a few niggles in the CPL, so we need to make sure he doesn’t develop them further. The support staff is very important. Having experienced players in the side helps. In IPL it’s about managing the combinations,” CSK skipper Dhoni said at toss.

Manvinder Bisla predicts KKR to win

Speaking at CricTracker’s Live Show In the Air, former KKR player Manvinder Bisla predicted Kolkata Knight Riders to win against CSK, while also highlighting why KKR needs to win this encounter desperately.

“It is very hard to predict, because both these teams are in brilliant form. But I am going with my gut feeling, and backing Kolkata Knight Riders. This is an extremely crucial contest form them. If they can win this one, they would be able to lead the teams below them by some margin,” Bisla said.

 

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Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood

Kolkata Knight Riders (Playing XI): Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Eoin Morgan(c), Nitish Rana, Dinesh Karthik(w), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Prasidh Krishna