IPL 2022: 3 reasons why CSK will win the opening game against KKR 

In less than a couple of weeks from now, the much-awaited Indian Premier League (IPL) will enter its 15th edition. The marquee tournament will be played in a relatively new format as two newly formed franchises, Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) and Gujrat Titans (GT), have joined eight other already-established franchises.

Earlier this month, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the fixtures for the league stage of IPL 2022. With 70 league matches and four IPL playoff games, the tournament will be played over a duration of 65 days.

This season's opening game will be between reigning and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and two-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on March 26.

Here are three major reasons why MS Dhoni-led CSK will be huge favorites to win Match 1 of the IPL 2022 against KKR.

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#1. Far more experienced and stable side than KKR

Chennai Super Kings [P.C: Twitter]

One of the most successful IPL franchises, CSK are known to hold continuity in their selection and not tinker too much with their set approach. That is why where other franchises have gone through massive changes, CSK are relatively unchanged. Experienced campaigners like Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, Robin Uthappa and Dwayne Bravo turned yellow again during the IPL 2022 mega auction.

Boasting a plethora of experience, CSK's squad contains numerous match-winners who have proven their class time and again. Undoubtedly, the reigning champions have the most experienced roster this time around as well.

Apart from this, it is no secret that MS Dhoni is a huge fan of having multi-faceted players in his XI. Having the likes of Bravo, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Chris Jordan, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, and Mitchell Santner only add to CSK's versatility and stability.

On the other hand, KKR too have some great all-rounders in their ranks. They, however, will depend hugely on the services of Andre Russell, who is injury-prone.

Click here to view the IPL Purple Cap Winners list.

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#2. CSK have a one-sided record against the Knight Riders

Former KKR Captain Eoin Morgan with Mahendra Singh Dhoni

CSK will head into the game as favorites given the fact that they have thrashed the Men in Purple eight times in their last 10 outings.

The last time these two teams met was in the IPL 2021 final. KKR put up a great fight in that particular game before running out of gas, which led CSK to clinch their fourth title.

Overall, the Yellow Army has faced KKR 26 times, winning 17 of those. The Bengal-based franchise, on the other hand, has won only eight matches against CSK.

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#3. Finding the winning formula in the very first game would be difficult for Shreyas Iyer

Shreyas Iyer will captain KKR in IPL 2022

KKR splurged on a mammoth ₹12.25 crore on Shreyas Iyer before naming him the IPL captain of the side for the upcoming season. It will be Iyer's first time playing for a IPL team other than Delhi Capitals in his career.

With the squad at hand, it won't be plain sailing for the 27-year old to figure out a winning combination in his very first match.

Firstly, there is a dearth of quality Indian talent in the side, especially in the batting department. With Ajinkya Rahane, Sam Billings, Nitish Rana, and Iyer himself, there are far too many one-dimensional batters who are well-suited as anchors. Picking the wicketkeeper might be their hardest choice as Billings is the only recognized keeper in the squad and Sheldon Jackson is untested as a wicketkeeper at this level.

With some weaknesses in the bowling department as well, KKR will have a few underlying problems to address when they come up against a mighty CSK.