IPL 2021: Match 38 – Strongest Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Predicted Playing XI against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR)

With an aim of securing a place in the playoffs, Chennai Super Kings will take on Kolkata Knight Riders in match 38 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. The encounter takes place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Sunday (September 26). After suffering a horrendous campaign last year, MS Dhoni’s men have truly made a remarkable comeback.

The three-time champions hold the second place in the team standings with seven wins in nine games. This also means a win in the upcoming against KKR would give them a ticket to the playoffs. Although the points table can differentiate CSK and KKR, the Eoin Morgan-led side registered comprehensive wins in their first two games after the season resumption. Hence, the Men in Yellow must put their best foot forward to extend their winning run.

Meanwhile, here’s the predicted Playing XI of Chennai Super Kings for IPL 2021 Match 36:

Openers – Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad

CSK literally have no reasons to tinker with their opening combination as both Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad have been impressive at the top. The latter scored a match-winning against Mumbai Indians recently to save his side from a top-order collapse. He backed his sensational knock with another match-winning 38 against Royal Challengers Bangalore.

On the other hand, Du Plessis, with 351 runs, is CSK’s highest run-scorer in the competition. The former South African captain was also on a roll in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League. Hence, the KKR bowlers can’t afford to put a foot wrong in the upcoming contest.

Middle-order – Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni

Although Raina, Rayudu and Dhoni might not don the Indian jersey, there’s gas left in their tank. Rayudu has played a couple of stunning knocks this season and CSK would want him to fire again. Suresh Raina, who scored a fifty in CSK’s season opener, has been regularly chipping in with handy contributions.

Still, his best is yet to come. As far as Dhoni is concerned, it would be safe to say that the dasher is no more the cricketer he was once. However, writing him off won’t be wise for KKR bowlers. Also, his glovework and on-field decision-making have been précised as ever. He scored an unbeaten 11 off nine balls in his last assignment.

All-rounders – Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo

All-rounders have been CSK’s strength over the years and the case is the same in the ongoing competition. Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, and Dwayne Bravo have been instrumental in CSK’s stellar campaign this season and the team management would want the trio to continue tormenting the oppositions.
While Moeen and Jadeja were sensational in the first, Bravo put up match-winning performances in his first two outings in the UAE leg. This means a player of Sam Curran’s caliber will continue warming the benches.

Bowlers – Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood

CSK won’t have to make any changes in their bowling attack either. Deepak Chahar has become a wicket-taking machine with the new ball all thanks to his ability to swing the ball. With 11 wickets in nine outings, Chahar is also Chennai’s leading wicket-taker this season. The Indian pacer shares the new ball with Australia’s Josh Hazlewood who needs no introduction whatsoever.

Having some extra pace in his arsenal, Hazlewood adds dimension to the bowling attack. He has also done well in T20 matches lately. Speaking of Shardul, the pacer can hardly do anything wrong nowadays. He took a couple of wickets in his last assignment and won’t mind replicating his heroics again. Not to forget, Chahar and Thakur are also handy batters lower down the order.

CSK’s Predicted XI for match 38 against KKR: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood