What The Kolkata Knight Riders, who have steadily climbed up the standings, clash with the Chennai Super Kings in Match 47 of Pepsi IPL 2014. After a slow start to the season, things seem to be falling in place for the 2012 champions, Kolkata Knight Riders. The team has found the right combination, but most importantly, their players have performed their roles well and have given a good account of themselves. In their most recent outing, KKR registered their fourth consecutive victory when they outclassed the Sunrisers Hyderabad by seven wickets. The Chennai Super Kings, who have been among the top two teams in the standings since the second week of Pepsi IPL 2014, suffered a minor hiccup in their previous outing when they lost at home to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. When Tuesday, May 20, 2014, 8 pm IST Where Eden Gardens, Kolkata The Protagonists KKR’s men in form – skipper Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa – will be vital to the team’s batting plans. In recent times, the opening pair has often laid a solid foundation, with one of the openers batting well into the second half of the innings. They will be expected to do the same yet again. Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum occupy the top two spots in CSK’s batting charts; the two openers have contributed close to half of the runs scored by the team this season. Apart from batting together as a pair, the openers have also ensured that one of them bats for a major part of the innings. That strategy has worked well for the team, and they will want to put it to good use one more time before McCullum heads back home to be with his wife for their child’s birth. Suresh Raina is an important cog in CSK’s batting plans; the left-hander revels playing in the limited overs format. On the bowling front, the focus will be on the battle between the spinners. KKR have Sunil Narine, Piyush Chawla and Shakib Al Hasan to exploit the conditions, while CSK have R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Samuel Badree in their ranks. The team that scores more runs off the opposition’s spin attack is more likely to prevail. Previous Meetings Kolkata Knight Riders v Sunrisers Hyderabad: Though the Kolkata Knight Riders defeated the Chennai Super Kings in the title clash of Pepsi IPL 2012, it is the latter who have a stranglehold in clashes between the two teams. CSK have defeated KKR 9 times in 13 meetings, including each of the last three times the two teams have met. Chennai Super Kings v Royal Challengers Bangalore: The biggest positive for CSK was that Suresh Raina, who had not had a decent hit so far in the tournament, showed no signs of rustiness in his batting. The southpaw walked in to bat in the fifth over and batted through the innings, making a polished 62. That the team only added 31 runs in the final five overs of the innings must be an area of concern; giving allowance to the difficult surface the match was played on, it is simply not acceptable that CSK only managed one boundary in the final quarter of the innings. Trivia Six of the eight Pepsi IPL matches played at the Eden Gardens last season were won by the team chasing. The average first-innings total in those eight matches was 148. What Next The Kolkata Knight Riders will stay put at Kolkata and prepare to host the Royal Challengers Bangalore who pay them a visit on May 22. The Chennai Super Kings, meanwhile, head back to Ranchi to play their final home fixture – against the Sunrisers Hyderabad – on May 22.