Two several-time Indian Premier League champions, two of the most iconic franchises, and two teams struggling to find some form this season face off in Match 22 of the 2026 IPL season.
The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) are heading to Chennai in search of their first win of the season. The Chennai Super Kings (CSK), like KKR, have also had a troublesome start to their campaign. After picking up their first win of the season against the Delhi Capitals in their last game, the hosts will look to build momentum and make it back-to-back wins.
For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.
The Knight Riders objectively look like the most unbalanced team this time around. Injuries to bowlers and the struggling form of their batters have meant that Ajinkya Rahane’s team are yet to find their best combination.
Their batting unit, which is expected to do the heavy lifting, has not yet clicked. Finn Allen has not managed to survive beyond the Powerplay, while teams have figured that spin is Ajinkya Rahane’s biggest weakness early on to stop him. Angkrish Raghuvanshi has been the standout batter for KKR, but he is someone who takes his time to get going, which is not always ideal.
Cameron Green finally found some runs in the last game but was unable to get going against spin, while teams would have also taken note of the fact that KKR’s lower-order batters Rinku Singh and Ramandeep Singh are yet to find form, though Rovman Powell’s recent fireworks would be a positive for the three-time champions.
With the ball, apart from Sunil Narine, KKR have little to show for their efforts, having hardly demonstrated form that would frighten any batting unit in the competition. Their seam attack, comprising Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi, and Navdeep Saini, was taken to the cleaners by the Lucknow Super Giants, while choosing Powell over Blessing Muzarabani means going all-in on their inexperienced Indian seam attack.
Spin remains the only way out for KKR, with Narine being at his usual wily best. The management also seems to have found a handy option in Ankul Roy. Varun Chakravarthy, meanwhile, has missed the last two games due to a hand injury, and it is not clear whether he will return for the Chennai game, which would be a home affair for him. Chakravarthy has been extremely expensive, though, and is yet to take a wicket this season, which will be another big cause of concern for the KKR camp.
With Finn Allen struggling, KKR do have the option of bringing in Rachin Ravindra, who is another spin option and is more than handy with the bat at the top of the order. Given the general nature of the Chepauk wicket, Ravindra could be a preferable option to look at for the KKR camp.
Like KKR, CSK are another team struggling to find form and points this season. With their talisman MS Dhoni yet to join the team due to an injury, the five-time champions have looked lost at times on the field under captain Ruturaj Gaikwad.
After a string of low scores, new signing Sanju Samson finally got some runs in the previous game against the Delhi Capitals, putting up the first century of this year’s IPL. While Samson has found some runs along with Ayush Mhatre, captain Gaikwad’s form with the bat remains a worry for the hosts.
With Dewald Brevis returning to the team for the last game, the batting unit looked a little more balanced, and players seemed like they were batting in their correct positions. Sarfaraz Khan has had impressive cameos, and the management will hope he registers a big score soon, while Shivam Dube continues doing what he does best as a finisher.
Bowling has been CSK’s biggest issue this season. They have come into the season with a relatively inexperienced unit. With Spencer Johnson injured, the Super Kings have had to rely on Matt Henry as the overseas bowler, but Henry has been incredibly expensive.
Among the Indian seamers, Khaleel Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj have been the ones among the wickets and relatively inexpensive compared to Henry. Jamie Overton has been CSK’s go-to man for breakthroughs, with their main spinner Noor Ahmad also having a horrid start to the season. Shivam Dube has been a handy option with the ball as well for Gaikwad, but the CSK skipper needs his batters to bail the team out given how thin their bowling looks, while also needing to get back to form himself.
There have been two games played at Chepauk so far, both of them being high-scoring encounters where the ball has travelled far. There doesn’t seem to be much in the pitch for pace bowlers, though spinners and slower bowlers may find some grip. All in all, we should be in for another high-scoring game, with both teams are struggling to find form with the ball.
KKR are yet to get a win on the board. Given their current form and struggles to even find a suitable starting combination, we’re backing the hosts as the favourites to win what should be a close game.
Fantasy XI: Sanju Samson (wk), Ajinkya Rahane, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Cameron Green, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Sunil Narine (c), Vaibhav Arora, Noor Ahmad
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Winners Prediction: Chennai Super Kings
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