Timing is everything in cricket and the schedule makers have served up a poetic backdrop for Tuesday’s clash at Chepauk. As the city of Chennai celebrates the Tamil New Year (Puthandu), visiting Kolkata Knight Riders are on the doorstep of Poila Baisakh. But for one of these powerhouse franchises, the festivities are destined to end in a sports hangover.
While the yellow-clad faithful hope that the New Year will bring change for Chennai Super Kings, KKR risk waking up to their own celebrations on Wednesday morning and enjoying the sting of defeat. With the stands packed and the stakes high, only one side will carry the holiday spirit into the night.
Kolkata Knight Riders have been a believable team in this edition of the Indian Premier League. They played a level of cricket that is out of this world. And their fans believe they are unstoppable most days.
KKR have played four matches and are yet to win a single match this season. They would probably lose 4 to 4, there was no rain at Eden Gardens against last year’s finalists, Punjab Kings. Will KKR find their first win of the season? (PTI photo)
The 2024 winners have been on a steep slide since winning their third title, which they will be desperate to arrest when they take on Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Tuesday, April 14.
If KKR are believable and stoppable, CSK are not far behind. The team’s mega rejig saw them languish at the bottom of the table last season. The theme continued at the start of IPL 2026 until their marquee Sanju Samson decided to turn up against Delhi Capitals in their last game.
Samson’s unbeaten 115 off 56 balls ensured Chennai their first win of the season, inspires some hope among his fans. However, the win should not detract from the fact that CSK are still at 9th in the IPL table, just one ahead of KKR.
Sanju Samson’s century in IPL
102 (63) vs RPS, Pune, 2017
102* (55) vs. SRH, Hyderabad, 2019
119 (63) vs PBKS, Wankhede, 2021
102* (52) vs DC, Chennai, 2026 pic.twitter.com/Qj8pJZilLk— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) April 11, 2026
This is basically a luxury bottom of the table derby between two sides who have 8 IPL titles between them.
KKR TEAM NEWS
Kolkata Knight Riders’ main problem has been their batting in the middle rolls. They start well in the overs and then fall out when the rotation kicks in in the middle overs. In the case of a high batting order, they simply do not take enough risks to use their resources.
Funny enough, KKR are the only team to employ a dedicated strength coach (Andre Russell) who doesn’t seem to have had any impact on the middle order batting at all.
KKR’s problem is highlighted by the fact that Sunil Narine, one of their most destructive batsmen from the winning season, faced only 4 balls in the 4 matches in which KKR batted. We are yet to see Sunil Narine’s usual flair with the bat this season. (PTI photo)
Bowling has been a problem this season too but it is expected to continue as there is no word from the KKR camp whether Varun Chakravarthy will play today.
“So Varun was training. He had a bandage on his hand but then he is still training. He was training all the days before this match so he is good,” KKR spokesperson said before the match.
CSK TEAM NEWS
This is perhaps the first season in many years where the focus is not on MS Dhoni. The legendary leader continues to struggle with injury and credit to CSK for not turning the story around him again.
Dhoni is also expected to miss this game due to a calf strain, putting the onus on Ruturaj Gaikwad and Sanju Samson to push the side out of the bottom half of the table. Dhoni is unlikely to be a part of CSK XI vs KKR. (PTI photo)
Sanju’s hundred should give him and his opening partner considerable confidence, which could prove crucial for CSK to come through against KKR at home. At a place like Chepauk, where momentum can quickly tilt a game, a confident start at the top can set the tone for the rest of the batting unit.
The aggressive intent shown in this innings will also reassure CSK fans that the rebuilding of the team is moving in the right direction.
CSK vs KKR: TACTICAL BATTLE
Kolkata Knight Riders almost suffocated Lucknow Super Giants with 8 overs of spin in the last game. Sunil Narine did exceptionally well with an economy of 3 while Anukul Roy held his own at Eden Gardens.
CSK have Shivam Dube to counter the spin threat and Dewald Brevis to some extent.
If Brevis plays, it will be his first match of the season and the battle against Sunil Narine could be one of the most fascinating watches for fans in Chepauk.
CSK vs KKR: PITCH REPORT
The match will be played on black ground. A lot of runs are expected from the surface and hopefully this will give a chance to both the batting units who have struggled so far this season.
Weather in Chennai will hold, no rain is expected in the evening. A heat warning is in place for the southern half of India, so players are expected to stay well hydrated.
CSK vs KKR: PREDICTED XI
CSK Predicted XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Sanju Samson (wk), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh.
Impact Sub: Akeal Hosein.
KKR Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Sunil Narine, Navdeep Saini, Kartik Tyagi.
Impact Player: Vaibhav Arora.
IPL 2026 | IPL Schedule | IPL Points Table | IPL Player Stats | Purple Cap | Orange Cap | IPL Videos | Cricket News | Live Score
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
14 Apr 2026 12:31 IST
