The Forty-Ninth match of the tournament is going to be played at Dubai International Cricket Stadium between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
Head to Head
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have won 13 out of the total 22 matches played overall.
Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) have won 8 matches while 1 match was abandoned.
In the last four meetings before this year's clash between them, CSK had won 3 matches out of the 4.'
In this year's first-leg clash KKR defeated CSK by 10 runs.
Squads
Top Players in CSK & KKR
KKR:
S Gill: He is the most consistent batsman for KKR this year. He has scored 378 runs at an average of 34.36 and a strike rate of 113.85. In the previous match against KXIP, he scored 57 runs off 45 balls hitting 4 sixes in that innings.
V Chakravarthy: The highest wicket-taker for KKR. He was the top performer in the match against DC in which he picked up 5 wickets giving away only 20 runs. He is the only player to pick up a fifer (five-for) in this year's IPL.
E Morgan: The England and the KKR team captain has played some impressive cameos for his team as the batsman. In the previous match against KXIP, he scored 40 runs off 25 balls which made him the second-highest run-scorer for his team after Gill.
P Cummins: He hasn't hogged the limelight often but if we look at his performances with the bat and ball he is the player who has scored maximum points for KKR.
CSK:
S Curran: He has been the most valuable player for CSK. He has played at various positions with the bat for KKR and scored at a strike rate of 136.22. He is the top wicket-taker for his team, he has picked up 13 wickets at a decent strike rate of 17.
Faf du Plessis: He stands 6th in the list of players who have scored maximum runs this season. He started the tournament exhilaratingly but his batting form has dipped slightly in the second half of the season. Overall, he has scored 401 runs at an average of 40.10 and a strike rate of 140.70.
A Rayudu: He played an exquisite inning against MI to start the tournament but ever since his injury he has not been able to score as freely as he scored against MI. Overall, he is the second highest run-scorer for CSK, he has scored 291 runs at an average of 36.37 and a strike rate of 125.43.
D Chahar: He has done a decent job with the bowl for CSK in the power play overs. Overall, he has picked up 12 wickets at an economy rate of 7.28.
Likely Playing 11
KKR:
S Gill, Nitish Rana, R Tripathi, Dinesh Karthik (WK), E Morgan (C), Sunil Narine, Pat Cummins/Andre Russell, L Ferguson, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, P Krishna, Varun Chakravarthy.
CSK:
R Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C)(WK), Sam Curran, N Jagadeesan, Ravindra Jadeja/R Sai Kishore, M Santner, D Chahar, M Kumar/KM Asif, I Tahir.
Other players who can make an impact
L Ferguson (KKR): His inclusion in the side has made a world of difference to KKR's bowling line-up. He has not only bowled fast but also maintained a good line and length. He currently stands fifth in the list of bowlers with best economy rates with an economy rate of 5.93.
R Gaekwad (CSK): He must be high on confidence after his innings of 65 not-out against RCB, it would be interesting to see how he bats in today's match.
N Rana(KKR): He scored an excellent 81 against a very good DC bowling line-up and could play an important role in today's match as well if he can keep his wicket in tact in power play overs.
I Tahir (CSK): He was given an opportunity to play in the previous match but didn't perform as expected although if he features in today's match he can make a difference.
On Paper and based on form neither team can be picked as the favourite for this match. We can expect the unexpected in this match because of the highly unpredictable performance of these teams in the tournament.