Morgan to help KKR clear the ropes

After an unbelievable run chase which saw them defeat Kings XI Punjab by 10 wickets, the Chennai Super Kings will be full of confidence going in to Match 21 of this seasons Dream11 Indian Premier League. They will be up against the Kolkata Knight Riders who will be looking to bounce back from their 18 run defeat to the Delhi Capitals on Saturday.

Old blokes win stuff

A phrase coined by the recent Vitality Blast winning captain Dan Christian ‘old blokes win stuff’ was shown in full effect as CSK cruised to a 10 wicket demolition job against Kings XI. 179 was the score to beat with Shardul Thakur (4-0-39-2) and Deepak Chahar (3-0-17-0) the pick of the bowlers for CSK. But with such a large target to chase, it was always going to be difficult for the Super Kings to knock them off. They continued to open with the in-form Faf du Plessis in the space of Murali Vijay and it is something that I am sure will continue for the rest of the tournament after du Plessis (87*) and Shane Watson (83*) saw them over the line with all ten wickets intact and with 14 balls to spare.

CSK have been at times criticised for their wealth of players who could be put in the older category with Dhoni, Jadeja, Bravo, du Plessis and Watson all older than 31 years old. And whilst they might have been at the foot of the table going in to the match, they have shown that having that kind of experience in your side is fundamental if you want success.

Big score in a losing cause

KKR have been fairly consentient throughout the IPL this year, without their consistency showing on the points table. They scored an impressive 210/8 and still managed to lose by 18 runs last time out against the Delhi Capitals at Sharjah, but will be able to take lots of positives from that defeat in to this match. Andre Russell was the only bowler to be hit at under 11.50 runs per over, with his crucial spell of 4-0-29-2 which was full of slower balls to try and stem the flow of runs.

Eoin Morgan shown his class again with the bat for KKR with 44 from just 18 which included five sixes. There is definitely a case that the England white ball captain should be batting higher than six to utilise his skill better, and it could be something we see, if KKR decide to change their tactics and drop Sunil Narine. Narine hasn’t managed to score any big runs so far at the top of the order, so don’t be too surprised if he doesn’t feature in all of KKR’s matches in this year’s IPL.

Match Tip

It might not be at Sharjah but there is always plenty of sixes when these teams take to the field. KKR lead the six count 33-31 against CSK, with Eoin Morgan hitting ten himself.

I am backing the Kolkata Knight Riders to hit more sixes than the Chennai Super Kings at 2.10 with 888sport.

Bet Kolkata Knight Riders to hit more sixes on 888sport