The Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be desperate to return to winning ways as they take on the reigning champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at the Chepauk Stadium on Friday. CSK’s campaign has hit a rough patch, and things got tougher with the injury of captain Ruturaj Gaikwad. Stepping into the leadership role once again will be the iconic MS Dhoni, whose presence might spark a turnaround.

Gaikwad’s absence leaves a noticeable void at the top of the batting order. Rahul Tripathi, who hasn’t quite lived up to expectations this season, is likely to be promoted up the order to plug the gap.

Meanwhile, KKR are coming off a loss against the Lucknow Super Giants and will be eager to get back on track. One of the major talking points for them will be the probable inclusion of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who is expected to replace Quinton de Kock. Barring a standout 97 against Rajasthan, the South African keeper-batter has struggled to deliver and hasn’t quite matched the impact of former opener Phil Salt. Gurbaz, known for his aggressive play, could look to target fellow Afghan and CSK spinner Noor Ahmad in what promises to be an intriguing mini-battle.

CSK vs KKR: Predicted Playing XIs

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Predicted XI:

• Rachin Ravindra
   
• Devon Conway
   
• Rahul Tripathi
   
• Shivam Dube
   
• Vijay Shankar
   
• Ravindra Jadeja
   
• MS Dhoni (Captain & Wicketkeeper)
   
• Ravichandran Ashwin
   
• Noor Ahmad
   
• Matheesha Pathirana
   
• Khaleel Ahmed
   
• Impact Sub: Mukesh Choudhary / Anshul Kamboj
   

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) Predicted XI:

• Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wicketkeeper)
   
• Sunil Narine
   
• Ajinkya Rahane (Captain)
   
• Angkrish Raghuvanshi
   
• Venkatesh Iyer
   
• Rinku Singh
   
• Andre Russell
   
• Ramandeep Singh
   
• Moeen Ali / Spencer Johnson
   
• Harshit Rana
   
• Varun Chakaravarthy
   
• Impact Sub: Vaibhav Arora
   

Full Squads

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR):
Quinton de Kock, Sunil Narine, Ajinkya Rahane, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Venkatesh Iyer, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Andre Russell, Ramandeep Singh, Harshit Rana, Spencer Johnson, Varun Chakaravarthy, Anrich Nortje, Vaibhav Arora, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell, Mayank Markande, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Chetan Sakariya.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK):
Ruturaj Gaikwad, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rashid, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjanpreet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishnan Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth.