Game 61 of Indian T20 League, 2023 will be played between Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders (CSK vs. KKR). The match will be played on May 14, 2023 at 7:30 IST local time at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

The Chennai Super Kings take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in Game 61 of the 2023 Indian Premier League on Sunday night at MA Chidambaram. The Chennai Super Kings have 15 points from 12 games and are five places and five points ahead of the Kolkata Knight Riders. Read on as we take a look at this game. This game starts at 19:30 local time.

Chennai Super Kings beat bottom-placed Delhi Capitals in their last game, but we expect Kolkata Knight Riders to offer them a tougher test. However, the hosts should be fine if they play at the top level.

Kolkata Knight Riders may be lower down the table, but it's still very close and a win for them would put them very close to the play-off spots. They will come to Chennai with the firm belief that they can win.

Match Preview

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) meets Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 61st game of Indian Premier League 2023 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Sunday (14 May). Chennai Super Kings with seven Wins from 12 games currently sit second in the points table while the Kolkata Knight Riders sit in 7th place with five wins from 12 games. A win in this game would secure a place in the playoffs for the Chennai Super Kings, while the Knight Riders' chances of making the playoffs are currently slim.

From their recent encounters, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have emerged victorious in their last two games, including the most recent encounter against Delhi Capitals (DC). After winning the toss, CSK opted to bat first but suffered some early setbacks and lost three wickets before completing the 10th over. However, the resilient performance of their middle-order batters helped them to a competitive aggregate of 167 runs and losing eight wickets in 20 overs. Shivam Dube played a crucial role, scoring the most with 25 runs and 12 deliveries. DC's Mitchell Marsh proved to be the most effective bowler, taking three wickets for 18 runs in three overs. During their chase, DC also struggled in the Power Play, losing three wickets. Manish Pandey and Rilee Rossouw partnered with 59 runs for the fourth wicket to revive the innings. Unfortunately for DC, they were unable to maintain their momentum after both batters were fired. Eventually, DC finished the game with 140 runs total and the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs, resulting in a 27-run win for CSK.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) faced a challenging situation in their recent game against Rajasthan Royals (RR). After losing some early wickets in the Power Play, KKR found themselves in trouble. However, Venkatesh Iyer and Nitish Rana stabilized the innings and added 48 runs for the third wicket. Unfortunately, KKR struggled to keep the momentum going after both batters were sacked, culminating in a total of 149 runs and losing eight wickets in 20 overs. In response, RR started his innings positively, with Jos Buttler falling in the second run. However, Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal took the lead and ensured RR suffered no further setbacks as they confidently pursued the goal with nine wickets in hand and 13.1 overs to go. Notably, Jaiswal's exceptional performance was the IPL's fastest half-century as he finished with an impressive 98 runs on 47 deliveries.

Pitch Report

The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is a balanced pitch. The average 1st innings score at this venue over the last 20 games is 145 runs. The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is athletic with good support for both batters and bowlers. The team that wins the toss may choose to bat or bowl depending on today's ground conditions.

Head to Head

In the 30 games between these two teams, batters from both teams have accumulated the most fantasy points for their respective teams so far.

Toss Prediction

After the Chennai Super Kings took the toss, decided to bat first and won the game last time out at this venue, we assume both teams will want to bat first.

Weather Report

A very warm day is forecast in Chepauk and the temperature will still be in the mid to high 30's throughout the game.

Betting Tips

Looking at the overall performance of both teams this season, we will bet on the home team here. They enjoy an excellent record at home and have a winning streak to back them up. On the other hand, the Knight Riders have often struggled to perform and will find it difficult to bounce back here.

Bet on Chennai Super Kings to win here.

PROBABLE PLAYING XI

Chennai Super Kings

RD Gaikwad, Devon Conway, AT Rayudu, Ajinkya Rahane, MM Ali, RA Jadeja, S Dubey, MS Dhoni(C), DL Chahar, TU Deshpande, M Theekshana.

Kolkata Knight Riders

RK Singh, JJ Roy, N Rana(C), AD Russell, SP Narine, AS Roy, VR Iyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(wk), Shardul Thakur, Varun Chakravarthy, H Rana.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Chennai Super Kings Key Players

Devon Conway the 31-year-old hasn't reached half a century in either of his last two innings. However, he had 56 runs the last time Chennai Super Kings faced Kolkata Knight Riders.

Tushar Desphande only Spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal and Rashid Khan have taken more wickets than the mid-paced right-arm bowler in this IPL campaign.

Matheesha Pathirana The 20-year-old pace bowler from Sri Lanka has recorded six wickets in his last two games at the venue.

Ruturaj Gaikwad The 26-year-old opener is the second-highest runs scorer for CSK. He hit 408 runs in 11 innings with an average of 40.79 and a batting average of 147.29.

Kolkata Knight Riders Key Players

Venkatesh Iyer the exciting left-hander has already hit a hundred and two half centuries in the 2023 IPL. He should enjoy batting on this pitch.

Andre Russell He's been an exceptional player for KKR this season with both the racquet and the ball. Russell has hit 218 runs in 12 innings with a 21.8 batting average and a 150.34 batting average. He has also taken seven wickets with an average of 22.85.

Jason Roy the right-handed opener has impressed the Kolkata Knight Riders since joining the franchise. Even if he doesn't time the ball properly, he often finds the boundary.

Varun Chakravarthy He is the leading wicket taker for KKR, having taken 17 wickets in 12 games with an average of 20.88, an economy of 7.94 and a batting average of 15.76.