It is the 18th game of the Indian Premier League that will see the Chennai Super Kings travel to Kochi to play the Kochi Tuskers Kerala at the Nehru Stadium.
Kochi v Chennai odds:
Both sides go into the game with a win under their belt. Kochi opened their account when they beat Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Friday while Chennai notched up their second win of the tournament in the third game yesterday, overpowering Royal Challengers Bangalore.
That said, Chennai (4/6 at
Stan James) were the pre-tournament favourites and it was not without reason. They have a captain who can turn things around with his astute moves and abilities to back the players to the hilt. On the other hand, Kochi (13/10 at
Bodog) are struggling to get their bowling combination right and unless they can come with the right balance, things may not get easier for them.
Ground and Pitch:
There has been one game played on this ground in this edition of the tournament; the first that Kochi played against Bangalore. There were more than 160 runs scored but Bangalore did not have too many difficulties chasing it down. Pitch should remain the same, batting-friendly, that one has come to expect from it.
Player News:
Chennai Super Kings do not usually fiddle around with their winning combination, but the bowling of Albie Morkel hasn’t lived up to expectations. With Doug Bollinger waiting to grab his opportunities, the time could just be right to get him in.
Amongst those at the top of the innings, it was an expected move to get Michael Hussey (11/4 at
Paddy Power) at the top of the order and send Srikanth Anirudha (12/1 at
Paddy Power) down, against Bangalore. Hussey did not disappoint too much, got to an unbeaten 83 and was the cornerstone of the Chennai win. The side also possesses S Badrinath (7/1 at
Paddy Power), who can assume a similar role for the side in the middle-order and the others can play their strokes freely.
If S Sreesanth plays for Kochi, it will be interesting to see how he bowls to some of his Indian teammates, Suresh Raina (4/1 at
Stan James) and MS Dhoni (6/1 at
Stan James). Nothing could taste sweeter for the Kochi-lad than getting the wickets of one or both these batsmen – especially after copping so much flak in the World Cup.
Kochi’s resilience in the previous game was thanks to a batting performance from their openers that saw Brendon McCullum () snatch the game away from the Mumbai Indians through some exhilarating batting. Mahela Jayawardene combined the sublime with the aggression and Ravindra Jadeja () provided them with the finishing touches.
The batting-order could remain the same as the one against Mumbai Indians, unless VVS Laxman () is fit enough to play. Thisara Perera () will then have to sit out.
Prediction:
Chennai will be favourites to win this one but one also senses that the team chasing down the total could have an advantage due to the dew.
