The season was a productive one not only for the Royals but from Indian cricket’s point of view as a number of young players like Riyan Parag and Dhruv Jurel stepped up through the season.
Unlike the placid batting turfs of Kotla, Wankhede or the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad, a sterner challenge awaits the batters in Chepauk where the strip will be sticky in nature. And thus, the MA Chidambaram Stadium could be expected to provide the perfect balance between the bat and ball.
On the other hand, RCB have sensationally bounced back from the brink of elimination. After losing seven of their first eight games this season, the Faf du Plessis-led outfit came back strongly by winning their last six games on the trot and sealed a playoffs berth.
The two-month long Indian Premier League 2024 season is finally approaching its culmination, after the conclusion of the league phase on Sunday, with the top four teams gearing up for the final hurrah.
However, in the scenario of Hardik being purchased by some other franchise in next year’s IPL mega auction, he will miss that particular team’s first game.
The Capitals have endured yet another roller-coaster ride this season, winning five and losing six of their last 11 games.
It was only three days back when the Punjab Kings outclassed CSK by seven wickets at Chepauk, considered their fortress.
The Lucknow Super Giants are placed just one rung below KKR at number three with 12 points from 10 matches with six wins and four defeats.
In 32 head-to-head meetings between the two sides so far, the MI have ended on the winning sode on 23 occasions, but considering their current form in IPL 2024, MI will have to punch above their weights against a dominant KKR.
The return to form of Jos Buttler and Jaiswal have bolstered their batting, and the duo will once again be expected to get the side off to a solid start before the likes of Samson, Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer can add muscle to their scores.
