IPL 2018, CSK vs KKR: Rampaging Chennai look to spoil Kolkata homecoming

In the 33rd match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Chennai Super Kings, who have looked a class apart so far, will start as hot favourites against Kolkata Knight Riders. CSK are right at the top of the Vivo IPL points table while Kolkata Knight Riders are placed at fourth position.

Back in the IPL after a two-year hiatus, the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led outfit have till now won six games out of eight and just lost two. Dhoni has led from the front, playing some blistering knocks including a 22-ball 51 in the previous game against Delhi Daredevils which CSK won by 13 runs. MS Dhoni has looked every inch like his old self with 286 runs in eight matches at 71.50. Dhoni rolled back the years with his 44-ball 79 against Kings XI Punjab, showcasing some of his trademark shots and showing glimpses of the flair which made him one of the best finishers of limited-overs cricket. Though CSK lost that game, they never looked like a team struggling to get going in IPL 2018. Besides Dhoni, Ambati Rayudu has been superb with the bat as well, amassing 370 runs at 46.25. In the last four matches, Rayudu has scores of 41, 46, 82 and 79.

Also, Veteran Australian opener Shane Watson has looked good too with a century to his name against Rajasthan Royals, a team he won the inaugural IPL with in 2008. Watson's 40-ball 78 in the last encounter underlined the fact that his big-hitting skills are still in the right place despite being on the wrong side of 30 and along with South African skipper Faf Du Plessis, they make a deadly combination at the top of the batting line-up.