CSK vs KKR preview: CSK will walk in with a swagger

Kedar Jadhav has been ruled out of the tournament

Chennai Super Kings, riding on an exhilarating innings from Dwayne Bravo for a gut-wrenching one-wicket win over host Mumbai Indians, will swagger — none does it better than skipper M.S. Dhoni — its way to the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday.

The atmosphere in the arena should be electric when CSK takes on the dangerous Kolkata Knight Riders.

CSK has been dealt a blow though. Kedar Jadhav, who so bravely closed out the humdinger in Mumbai with decisive hits despite limping, has been ruled out of the competition.

The side’s batting coach Michael Hussey revealed, “Jadhav’s hamstring reports have not come out good. He’s a class player and it’s a big loss for us.”

Willey as replacement

CSK is said to be zeroing in on England left-arm seamer David Willey — a handy lower-order batsman too — as a possible replacement.

The surface at Chepauk is likely to assist spin and both sides are strong here. Coach Stephen Fleming believes Harbhajan Singh’s over-spin and bounce will be suited to the surface here. Ravindra Jadeja too should relish the wicket.

And the Knight Riders possess wrist spinners Piyush Chawla and Kuldeep Yadav apart from the controversial Sunil Narine, who despite being reported for a suspect action in the Pakistan Super League, continues to bowl in IPL.

Has Narine been tested for a remodelled action and is IPL serious about countering the menace of chucking?

Narine is blazing away with the willow though at the top of the order. Chris Lynn is another explosive opener for the side while skipper Dinesh Karthik, Robin Uthappa and Andre Russell can blow away attacks in the middle-order.

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CSK has game-changers too, none more than Dhoni, Suresh Raina and Bravo.

M. Vijay, who had been battling sore ribs, has recovered well and might open; Ambati Rayudu could be shifted to middle-order in place of Jadhav.

The pacemen could also have a role. Mitchell Johnson, still sharp, could rattle CSK’s batsmen with lift. And Bravo, with his control, changes in pace and yorkers could hurt the visiting batsmen. The dew is not expected to be a big factor. Batting first should be a better idea. PowerPlay overs could be pivotal.