The 15th match of IPL 2021 is between Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings. Chennai have won two out of three games so far while Kolkata have registered only a solitary victory.
Despite being out for mere 18 runs, Nitish Rana continued to be a major cog in the Kolkata Knight Riders batting line-up. Rana is the leading run-scorer of the side at present with 155 runs at an average of 51.66 and strike rate of 153.70. In the tournament opener of Kolkata against Sunrisers Hyderabad Rana scored a brilliant 56-ball 80 at the top and remained unbeaten. Kolkata won the game and Rana was the player of the match. In the next game against Mumbai Indians, KKR were chasing down mere 153 runs but it was a collapse in the middle order that caused KKR the match. But Rana was anchoring the chase till 15th over. He failed to find a suitable partner and was dismissed for 57 off 47. The star-studded Kolkata middle order is still struggling to find the rhythm and Shubman Gill at the top is yet to gain trust in this format. So a good innings from Nitish Rana is what KKR need for a good shot going ahead.
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Ambati Rayudu was the second leading run-scorer for Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2020. He amassed 359 runs in 12 matches at an average of 39.88 and strike rate of 127.80. He went on to hit 12 maximums as well in the season. In the absence of Suresh Raina, Rayudu was a highlight for the CSK performance in the UAE. This year, Rayudu has scored 50 runs so far at an impressive strike rate above 147. He started the edition with 16-ball 23 and in the last match was seen batting with a strike rate of nearing 159. In the previous match, Rayudu smashed three maximums to score 27 runs off 17 deliveries. His consistency in the lower middle-order is a plus point for the side especially because of the terrible form of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. They need good start at the top but in case of a collapse, Rayudu will be one important batter who can change the match course in Chennai’s favour.
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