Kolkata take on Chennai in match 15 of the Indian T20 League 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday evening. After defeating Hyderabad by 10 runs in the first match, Kolkata lost to Mumbai by the same margin. They were thrashed by Bangalore and lost to them by 38 runs in their most recent match. Chennai, on the other hand, began with a 7-wicket loss to Delhi but have since registered comprehensive wins against Punjab and Rajasthan.
With these two sides meeting each other for their fourth match of the season, here are 3 player battles to look forward to in this game:
- Nitish Rana vs. Deepak Chahar
Nitish Rana has been excellent at the top of the order for Kolkata. He scored a match-winning 80 against Hyderabad and followed it up with a solid 57 against Mumbai. Although the innings was in vain, the left-hander looked in cracking form. He was dismissed for just 18 against Bangalore. With confidence still on a high, Rana will look to get the team off to a good start again when he faces Chennai here.
For Chennai, Deepak Chahar has been good with his swing bowling. Although he went wicketless against Delhi and Rajasthan, he was unplayable in the match against Punjab, where he had exceptional figures of 4 for 13. There was some movement on offer at the start of the innings and Chahar exploited this opportunity to the fullest. He will be hoping for some of that against Kolkata too. If he gets it, he could trouble Rana and the others.
- Faf du Plessis vs. Pat Cummins
Chennai’s veteran opener Faf du Plessis has done well for his team in the last two editions and has also started this season in good form. He played a quick-fire inning of 33 runs off only 17 balls in the last game against Rajasthan. He also scored an unbeaten 36 runs in the win against Punjab. Chennai will be looking for a good start from him in this game too.
Pat Cummins comes into this match with 4 wickets at an average of 22. He has been pacy and accurate in the last three matches. With spinners bowling the powerplay overs, he played a different role bowling in the middle overs and did it effectively. With a change of venue, Kolkata will look to use him up top and rattle the top order of Chennai. The wicket of du Plessis in the initial overs can be crucial to the team’s chances here.
- Moeen Ali vs. Varun Chakravarthy
Moeen Ali has done wonderfully well for Chennai so far while batting at number three. He made scores of 36, 46 and 26, all in quick time, in the three matches played so far, along with picking up 4 wickets. Moeen’s success with the bat has allowed Chennai to attack deep into the innings. Moeen has consistently found boundaries in the powerplay overs, which has given Chennai good momentum.
In Chennai, Varun Chakravarthy was used at the top of the innings on a few occasions. Eoin Morgan went with him to open the bowling in the match against Bangalore and it was effective too, getting two early wickets including the big scalp of captain Virat Kohli. If Kolkata continues bowling him at the top of the innings, Chakravarthy will face a significant challenge from Moeen, who will look to attack and score runs off him inside the powerplay.
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