We’re at Dubai for the big final that we’ve waited months and months for. And there’s plenty of IPL betting tips to come ahead of the big game! This match will be played on October 15, with a start time of 7:30 pm IST.
If you like online cricket betting on Indian websites, read on because we have the best CSK v KKR betting tips coming up next. As ever, they’re completely free for our Indian readers.
Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders Betting Odds
Up next, our free cricket betting predictions for today’s IPL match! There’s some important advice regarding the match-winner and the best strategy on the day as to how to play it.
But if you can’t wait till then, go with CSK. I’ll also tell you which CSK batsman is worth a bet for top batsman.
After three straight losses at the end of the Group Stages, Chennai Super Kings woke up when they needed to in the Qualifier against Dehi.
They probably conceded a few more than they would have liked but they’re masters of the chase.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, who has been brilliant all tournament, and Robin Uthappa (whose superb knock was a bit of a surprise given he was somewhat out of form) got CSK close, before MS Dhoni got them home, rolling back the years to smash some boundaries just when his side were under a bit of pressure.
Speaking of Gaikwad, he needs 24 runs to be the IPL’s top batsman for the season.
I tipped him watch-way at 26.0 so given the worst he can finish is second, you’re guaranteed a big profit. If he gets those 24, a far bigger one is coming your way.
And if he doesn’t, then KL Rahul wins, another of the three players I tipped! He was 9.0.
The big plus point for CSK is the vast experience provided by the likes of Dhoni, Uthappa, Bravo Jadeja and Faf du Plessis. All are IPL winners.
Kolkata Knight Riders needed to win four games in a row to make the final. They did. The big reasons for that run were much-improved bowling displays and lots of runs from their openers. Do those two things well and the rest tends to fall into place.
The return to fitness for Lockie Ferguson played a big part in that but all five of them have been good. Sunil Narine has been bowling beautifully after a slow start (he’s played some useful knocks as well) and the West Indies will be frustrated that they ruled him out of the World Cup on fitness grounds (he failed the tests) only to see him play like this.
But there’s no going back now and he’s not going to the World Cup. An important change they made was to bring in opener Venkatesh Iyer.
He was man of the match in that win against Delhi for his 55 off 41 and he’s been in fine form ever since being given a chance on the UAE leg of the IPL. In nine knocks, he scored three fifties and none more important than the one on Wednesday against Delhi.
Speaking of that game, they almost bottled it. They had a small chase completely under control until they almost imploded.
If Ravichandran Ashwin hadn’t bowled a poor fifth delivery in the final over (which Nitish Rana hit for six) they wouldn’t be here. No one knows if Andre Rusell will be fit. Yes, it’s a final and he’s nicknamed Superman but there is also a World Cup on the horizon so he might be reluctant to play himself.
It would also be harsh on Shakib Al-Hasan if he was to miss out with Russell coming in.
We’re in Dubai for the final where first innings scores have been: 172-2/164-2/134-2/136-2/118-2/165-2/149-2/164-2/165-1/134-2/185-1/156-1.
You can see how hard it is to get to 170. But then again, 160 could be more than enough. We’ve seen players struggle to time the ball here and a more patient approach may be needed.
But here’s what we know better than what a par score is: you want to be chasing.
You want to know what the target is so you can pace yourself and take risks accordingly. Then there’s the dew factor, as discussed in our T20 betting masterclass.
In a nutshell: the ball gets wet as a result of dew in the second half of games. It makes it harder to grip, especially for the spinners. That’s why you want to field first when the ball is dry.
CSK v KKR Head-to-Head
CSK are 16-8 up over the years. Simple maths tells us that CSK have won two games for everyone they’ve lost against this lot. In addition to winning both matches this season, CSK also won both back in 2019. They each won one last season.
CSK v KKR Toss Prediction
It’s 12 each, one of the very rare cases where there’s a perfect split. It’s the laws of probability at their best. But we’ll trust Dhoni to win the toss.
TEAMS
TOSS
WIN %
Chennai
12
50%
Kolkata
12
50%
Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders Winner Prediction
The advice here is to back the team batting second.
Wait for the toss, check the odds on Live Bet and back the team chasing. If it’s CSK, go with CSK. If it’s KKR, go with KKR.
The stats suggest that chasing has been the way to go with dew making it so much easier for the team batting second.
It’s also not inconceivable that the team batting first doesn’t know what a par score is and falls short either by being too aggressive. Or not being aggressive enough!
That said, if you don’t want to wait for the toss (after all, it’s not 100% guaranteed the team chasing wins) then go with CSK.
Stronger on the head to head, their batting looks sharper and they have more experienced heads in the side.
Robin Uthappa bided his time with knocks of 19 and 2 before making an impact but did it at just the right time.
His 63 off 33 against Delhi was the innings of a batsman knowing exactly what he had to do and how. His days with India are long gone and he may not be in peak physical condition anymore but he has nothing if not class and experience.
Not many players have played as much IPL as him over the years including games such as this one.
He bats at three, is fresh from a terrific knock, is unlikely to feel the pressure and at odds of 5.5 they’re much bigger than the likes of Gaikwad, du Plessis and Ali.
He’s the one to go with.
CSK v KKR fun facts
Let’s round things off with some fun facts ahead of the game.
When CSK won this fixture in late September, they did so off the last ball of the innings in a chase.
Gaikwad needs 24 runs in the final to be IPL top batsman for the season; 23 would result in a tie.
Gaikwad and Jadeja are ranked fourth and fifth respectively in the IPL Most Valuable Player table, which is based on stats. The best KKR have is Chakaravarthy in 14th.
CSK have played eight IPL finals, winning three and losing five.
