History
KXIP are one of only 3 teams to have never won the IPL title, while Chennai Super Kings have won the title thrice,. These 2 teams have faced off 22 times in total, with CSK winning 13 of those, and KXIP winning 9. Last season both these teams won one match each, and are equally poised coming into this contest. Earlier this season, CSK destroyed KXIP by 10 wickets as their openers made minced meat of their bowling attack.
Team News
KXIP looked to be in incredible batting form initially. Both their openers, Rahul and Mayank have played two big innings each, including a century each as well. They have scored 200+ runs twice already, although their bowling has repeatedly failed them as RR managed to chase down the highest score in IPL history against them.
This disbalance has caused them to lost 4 matches in a row, and they are currently bottom of the table with just 1 win in 6 matches. They lost to SRH by a huge margin of 69 runs, but the performance of Pooran will be encouraging, as the over reliance on the openers has cost them so far. They suffered another heartbreak vs KKR as they lost by just 2 runs, after Glenn Maxwell came within inches of the boundary rope when they needed a 6 to tie the match.
Finally, their patience paid off as they managed to beat RCB to end a streak of 4 straight defeats. The resurgence continued with a dramatic win over Mumbai Indians which ended in 2 separate super-overs ! They followed this up with another impressive victory over then table-toppers Delhi Capitals, beating the top 2 sides in the league in back to back matches. They then defended a modest total against SRH in a remarkable turnaround, before successfully chasing down a decent target against KKR. Their winning run finally came to an end in their last game though, as they lost to Rajasthan Royals.
CSK started the IPL in great fashion, by beating the favourites Mumbai Indians, however they have struggled massively ever since. Missing key players, they lost back to back matches against Rajasthan Royals and Delhi Capitals, and were near the bottom of the league table.
However a comprehensive victory over KXIP had elevated them to the 5th spot, as their openers completely decimated the opposition. But then, the batting again failed as they failed to chase down a moderate score against KKR. This has become a recurring issue for Chennai as their top-order failed against RCB as well. However, they bounced back strongly with a 20 run win over SRH, before succumbing to a damaging defeat against the table-toppers DC. This was followed by another pathetic and one-sided defeat against fellow strugglers Rajasthan Royals.
Further humiliation followed against table-toppers Mumbai Indians as CSK failed to score beyond 125 for a second game in a row, and lost by 10 wickets. They bounced back strongly with a comfortable chase against RCB. They followed that up with another impressive win against KKR and are in good form now.
Betting Preview, Picks And Prediction
To Win The Match
KXIP are the favourites to win the match with odds of 1.70 as per LeoVegas, which is not surprising as KXIP is one of most in-form team in the tournament with 5 consecutive wins before losing their previous one, while CSK have won their last 2 matches, and are in somewhat decent form despite being bottom of the table, and are 2.15 to win this one.
Top Team Batsman
After his unbelievable form all season, KL Rahul is the favourite to be Punjab’s top batsman, with odds of 3.00. He is followed by his opening partner Mayank Agarwal at 4.00, which is tempting as he has been in equally brilliant form. Chris Gayle’s return has changed things, with the big West Indian now second-favourite to be the top scorer at 3.50.
Faf Du Plessis is the favourite from CSK to be the top scorer, with odds of 3.50, while his fellow opener Shane Watson, who has struggled so far, has odds of 4.33. The impressive Rayudu has odds of 4.50, and would be looking to make a comeback to the team.
Highest Opening Partnership
KXIP are favourites at 1.75 to have the highest opening partnership in this match, as they are widely considered to have the most in-form opening pair of the tournament, in Rahul and Agarwal. An explosive start could be a game-changer in this match.
Top Team Bowler
Sam Curran is the favourite from CSK to be the top bowler at 4.00, followed by experienced leggie Piyush Chawla at 5.00, Josh Hazelwood at 4.50 and Chahar at 4.50.
Mohammed Shami is the favourite to be the top bowler for Punjab at 3.25, with Cottrel at 4.50 another attractive option.
Total Runs In The Match
Odds of there being more than 333.5 runs in this match are 1.80, as per Bet 365. This is a pretty attractive bet as KXIP’s top order seems to be in red-hot form, while Chennai will have Rayudu back, which will be a huge boost to their batting, along with the in-form Gaekwad.
Individual Player Betting
- Shane Watson to score more than 23.5 runs has odds of 2.00 , which is a tempting bet as he would like to finally make a big innings again. KL Rahul to score more than 27.5 runs has odds of 1.83 , which is an attractive bet as he seems to be in great form.
- CSK to hit the most sixes has odds of 2.45, which is likely as Watson and Du Plessis are big hitters, and Dhoni at his best can be fairly destructive as well. KXIP to hit the most sixes has odds of 1.80, which can tempting with Gayle back, and also Rahul, Pooran and Maxwell, all can hit sixes.
- Sam Curran to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.40, while Shami to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.10.
Our Top Betting Picks
- KXIP to win the match @1.70
- KXIP to hit the most sixes @1.80
- KXIP to have the Highest Opening Partnership @1.75
- Shami to be KXIP’s top wicket-taker @3.25
