Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will take on last year’s runner-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the first match of the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday. During the India leg of the 2021 season, KKR could win only 2 out of the 7 games, and it looked like they might again finish in the bottom four. But, their fortunes changed once they landed in UAE as the team under the leadership of Eoin Morgan won 5 out of 7 games. They went on to defeat the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Eliminator, and Delhi Capitals (DC) in the second qualifier. KKR’s dream run ended as CSK, under the leadership of veteran MS Dhoni, defeated them by a margin of 27 runs.
Both the teams have a new leader at the helm this season. KKR shelled INR 12.25 crores for Shreyas Iyer in the IPL auction in February and picked him as their captain. CSK, on the other hand, would be led by Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, as MS Dhoni has decided to step down from his position.
Here are 3 players you can avoid in your fantasy teams for CSK vs KKR game:
1. Rajvardhan Hangargekar
Rajvardhan Hangargekar was a part of the Indian team that recently won the ICC Under 19 World Cup. Hangargekar also played a vital role in India’s triumph in the Under-19 Asia Cup last year. He came into the auction with a base price of INR 30 lakh, and CSK shelled out INR 1.5 crores to get his services. A total of 3 teams showed interest in Hangargekar at the auction table, others being Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants. It would be difficult for him to make it to the final playing XI in this game as the team already has proven performers. Both the teams have some quality pace bowlers, and hence, you can avoid this young prodigy in your fantasy team.
2. Ajinkya Rahane
After a great performance in the last edition of the tournament, KKR decided to retain Venkatesh Iyer but failed to get the services of his partner Shubhman Gill. This means that the opening slot is vacant, and KKR would be looking at their squad to find a like-for-like replacement for Gill. Ajinkya Rahane is one player who can open the innings for KKR along with Iyer. Rahane has featured in over 150 games in the IPL and has scored 3941 runs at an average of 31.52. But, his performance in the last edition of the tournament indicates that he might not be a great pick and can be avoided.
3. MS Dhoni
As mentioned earlier, MS Dhoni is no longer the captain of the defending champions. Dhoni’s last game was the final of the previous edition of the league. He made 114 runs in 16 games in IPL 2021 at an average of 16.28 and a strike rate of 106.54. It would be better to avoid him in this game and pick some other keeper in your fantasy team.
