Former South African captain AB de Villiers has picked the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as favorites to win the opening encounter of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
While CSK are the defending champions, KKR are the runners-up. Kolkata lost in last year's final by 27 runs as Chennai won their fourth IPL title.
Previewing the opening clash of IPL 2022, De Villiers pointed out that CSK have pretty much the same team from last season, while KKR have made plenty of changes. Speaking during a discussion on VUSport Scouts, he said:
“CSK all the way. They come off that confidence from winning the last IPL. They have a similar team setup even though (MS) Dhoni is not captain. I don’t think it’s going to play a big role. He’s still on the park and he’s still got the brain. He’ll be in Jaddu’s ears, thinking about strategies and some field placings."
The 38-year-old opined that CSK’s consistency in winning games gives them an added advantage. He explained:
“They have a lot of experience and they just know how to cross the line and win games. They know how to go into first games and how to go into last games. There have been a lot of changes in the KKR squad. I think CSK will take the first game.”
With Dhoni having stepped down as captain, Ravindra Jadeja will lead the Chennai franchise in IPL 2022. Shreyas Iyer, meanwhile, has been named the skipper of KKR this season.
“He will always be in the game” - AB de Villiers warns CSK to be wary of Sunil Narine
Despite picking Chennai as favorites for the match, De Villiers stated that KKR mystery spinner Sunil Narine could pose some problems for CSK. He said:
“I don’t think it’s a wicket where you want to play too many spinners. But KKR have got to play their two mystery spinners. What counts in Narine’s favor is he is a mystery spinner after all. There is a bit of inexperience in CSK batting. Devon Conway coming in, may have not faced him a lot. All of a sudden, you are not sure where the ball is going.”
The former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star pointed out that Narine gives nothing away and can frustrate the batters if they do not pick him. De Villiers added:
“Even though it is not turning a lot, he will always be in the game. He bowls wicket to wicket. If you are not sure what’s happening, he is going to get you out. And he’s got the batting ability. Hopefully, McCullum will send him up the order to open. If that doesn’t happen, he probably won’t have a big role to play with the bat.”
33-year-old Narine was one of the star performers for KKR during the IPL 2021 season. He claimed 16 scalps in 14 games at a strike rate of 21 and an economy rate of 6.44.
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