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Match Details
Date: September 26, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Live Ball-by-ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview: After bagging two wins in two games in the UAE edition of Indian T20 League 2021, Chennai are now pitted against Kolkata, who have also won both their games in the gulf nation this year. Interestingly, both the sides have defeated Mumbai and Bangalore after the resumption of the league.
With 14 points and an NRR of +1.185 after 9 games, Chennai are among the table-toppers. Meanwhile for Kolkata, things are a bit tough as they have 8 points in their kitty after 9 games. In order to make a safe entry to the playoffs, they need to win 4 of the next 5 games.
Team News:
Chennai- The MS Dhoni-led side has come out as just another powerful team in the 2021 edition. The side seems to be on its vintage form, where all the players are contributing to the victory. The top-order seems settled, courtesy to Ruturaj Gaikwad's impeccable form.
Kolkata- Despite no Pat Cummins, Kolkata are looking a formidable side with the likes of speedsters Lockie Ferguson and Prasidh Krishna. However, what they would want to see is an in-form Andre Russell the batter. Meanwhile, Venkatesh Iyer has been a great find for them. And the form of Rahul Tripathi makes Kolkata's case further strong.
Head to Head (in Indian T20 League):
Matches Played – 23
Chennai – 15
Kolkata - 8
Key Players:
Ruturaj Gaikwad: With an unbeaten 88 off 58 in the first game of the UAE leg, Gaikwad was the man to rescue Chennai against Mumbai. In the next game, he scored 38 off 26 to provide his side a blazing start.
Dwayne Bravo: The Caribbean all-rounder has been in terrific touch in UAE. In the first game, he scored 23 off 8 before returning figures of 3/25. Then he followed it with a 3/24 in the recent game against Bangalore.
Venkatesh Iyer: The new signing of Kolkata has cashed in on the opportunity with both his hands. He scored an unbeaten 41 off just 27 in his maiden Indian T20 League appearance and then smashed a 53 off 30.
Probable Playing XI:
Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Kolkata: Shubman Gill, Venkatesh Iyer, Rahul Tripathi, Nitish Rana, Eoin Morgan (c), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Lockie Ferguson, Varun Chakravarthy, Prasidh Krishna