Analysis for the match.

Chennai Super Kings boasts a settled, experienced side who will no doubt be major players once again in this year’s IPL, even though long-standing skipper MS Dhoni has passed captaincy duties onto teammate Ravi Jadeja. However, they do not come into this contest at full-strength which opens up a window of opportunity for Kolkata Knight Riders to exploit here. Although the losses of both Moeen and Chahar are significant from a CSK perspective, KKR will be without Australian superstar Pat Cummins, which could prove a decisive factor in this contest when taking into account how important a role he would normally play with the ball. Therefore, consider backing the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings to get their title defense off to a winning start.

Must see points.

1). CSK is without Moeen Ali and Deepak Chahar for this match

2). Shreyas Iyer is in terrific form and that is a huge plus for KKR

3). Both teams have clear weaknesses for the others to exploit but we think KKR has more strengths

Head to Heads

Overall matches - 28

CSK - 18

KKR - 9

N/R - 1

Last five Head to Heads

CSK - 4

KKR - 1

N/R - 0

Match Prediction: KKR to win the match.

1). If CSK won the toss and opted to bowl first, KKR could score 170-190 runs.

2). If KKR won the toss and opted to bowl first, CSK could score 160-180 runs.

Secondary Predictions.

1). Ambati Rayadu total runs - over 19.5 runs.

We think Rayadu is an excellent T20 batsman who took his game to another level in the previous season. His ability to attack from the first ball makes a great asset. The Over/Under line for him seems quite low and we are happy to take a punt on him.

2). Sam Billings total runs - over 16.5 runs.

Sam Billings is being criminally under-rated by the IPL betting sites at the moment. He is a very good middle-overs batsman that can clear the boundaries with ease and is effective against spin. Bet on him to score more than 16.5 in the opening IPL 2022 match.

3). To hit a six - Devon Conway

Conway is going to open the batting (or bat at 3) for CSK since Moeen Ali is unavailable. He was ranked as the best T20 batsman in the world not too far back and is certainly capable of clearing the boundary at least once. A risky bet by nature but the returns make it worth the risk.

Match Preview.

CSK has been dealt a couple of heavy blows ahead of its season opener. Deepak Chahar is unlikely to play any role for the first half of IPL 2022 and Moeen Ali is also stuck in the United Kingdom with some visa issues. That means two of their best players are unavailable for this match against KKR.

That could mean an IPL debut for Devon Conway who would open the batting with Ruturaj Gaikwad.

CSK's batting seems a bit light on the batting. Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayadu, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, and MS Dhoni are likely to feature in the playing eleven. We think Ambati Rayadu and Ravindra Jadeja are the two batters that you can bet on to score some runs in this match.

The bowling lineup should have at least one overseas fast bowler between Adam Milne and Chris Jordan. We think Milne is the better and more versatile bowler but there is no wrong option here. Dhoni may also choose Theekshana as his fourth overseas player keeping in mind the number of left-handers in the KKR camp.

The Indian fast-bowling options are thin. Tushar Deshpande and KM Asif seem to be the ones that will find a place in the eleven. Rajvardhan Hangargekar could also be an option here.

Overall, the CSK lineup is not looking too great on paper ahead of this first match.

KKR retained Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russel, Varun Chakravarthy, and Sunil Narine for IPL 2022 and that is the core of their lineup. Iyer is going to open the batting, Russel and Narine will play vital all-round roles, and Chakravarthy is an excellent IPL bowler.

They have also added Shreyas Iyer to the squad and he is in terrific form. Iyer was the man of the series in the T20 series against the West Indies, scored runs in the Test series against Sri Lanka, and is also the captain of KKR. He will bat at 3 setting the tone for the entire team.

It will be interesting to see who opens the batting with Venkatesh Iyer. We could see Nitish Rana, who has played that role in the past, or Ajinkya Rahane (who will enjoy the conditions in Mumbai), or Aaron Finch who has been roped in as a replacement.

We also think Sam Billings has to be played in the middle-order since he is the only real wicketkeeping option in the squad! He is another terrific player in the middle order and adds depth to the KKR batting lineup.

The bowling lineup will be dependent on Russell and Narine bowling their full quota of overs, though, as once again, the India bowling options seem a bit thin. Umesh Yadav and Shivam Mavi are the possible fast-bowlers that play this match.

KKR has most of its pieces set but just needs to find some good local players to fill in the gaps.

Match details.

Time - Mar 26th, 07:30 PM, IST.

Venue - Wankhede Stadium - Mumbai, India

Pitch reports.

There is no chance of rain on match day but there is a fair bit of humidity. That could mean we have some dew in the second half that makes chasing easier. As far as the pitch goes, we expect an absolute batting beauty to start with. The ball should come on nicely to the bat and there will be plenty of sixes/fours being hit.

Team News.

Chennai Super Kings>>

The 2021 Champions will be looking to begin this campaign with as many of their star performers from last season in their XI. England all-rounder Moeen Ali’s visa is cleared after a long delay and he will join the team today but won’t be available for the 1st match. We expect to see New Zealand’s Devon Conway make his CSK debut in this match. Just before the start of the season, MS Dhoni handed over the captaincy to the all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Jadeja has been in terrific form lately jumping to the top spot in Test all rounders rankings after the series against Sri Lanka.

Possible XI - Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Rajvardhan Hangarker, Chris Jordan, Maheesh Theekshana

Kolkata Knight Riders>>

There were plenty of changes to the KKR squad ahead of the IPL 2022 season with the biggest change coming in the captaincy position. Out has gone Eoin Morgan with Shreyas Iyer now leading the side. Australia captain Pat Cummins will miss this game as it comes too soon after the conclusion of the Test series in Pakistan.

Possible XI - Ajinkya Rahane, Venkatesh Iyer, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nitish Rana, Sam Billings (wk), Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shivam Mavi, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy