Chennai Super Kings won the first match when these two sides met in their previous encounter in Chennai. Ravindra Jadeja finished the game off for CSK in what was a riveting contest. 

The IPL since then has drifted along its own path and midway through the tournament, CSK finds them topping the points table, while KKR finds themselves in the fourth position. 

Tonight Kolkata faces Chennai in an important encounter at home with an aim to give it back to MS Dhoni and his men. Both teams have played 8 games so far and has six more to go till the knockouts. 

KKR has made it a point to win at least four to five out of their next six while CSK too will be aiming to do the same. Something that makes both teams stand in the same page is death bowling concerns. While Mavi exhibited inexperience going for 29 runs in his last over against DD, CSK despite of having the likes of Dwayne Bravo in the list seems to be suffereing in the final third of their bowling session. 

What sets both teams apart though is the presence of a certain MS Dhoni in the CSK camp. He has made himself very much a utility player for CSK taking up the finisher's role to perfection. 

KKR have a set of tough games coming up and are entering a phase that'll not only test their skill but also temperament as a team. CSK will present a stern challenge and there are no easy games left. The quicker they are in fixing some glaring glitches, the better chance they'll have at making it to the next stage.

As far as team changes from both camps are concerned, KKR might look to replace Nitish Rana who injured his back in the last game against RCB with Rinku Singh. This seems to be the only change KKR might make while CSK who made four changes in their last game against DD can keep their fans guessing about tonight's playing XI. 

Rain is hovering around the clouds in Kolkata and can intervene in the contest tonight. There are chances of early evening showers that is likely to ease closer to match start. The pitch had a covering of grass to hold it together. An important game for both sides, promises to be a nail-biter. 

Toss

Kolkata Knight Riders have won the toss and have opted to field

Playing XI

Chennai Super Kings : Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni(w/c), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Karn Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif

Kolkata Knight Riders : Chris Lynn, Sunil Narine, Robin Uthappa, Dinesh Karthik(w/c), Rinku Singh, Shubman Gill, Andre Russell, Shivam Mavi, Piyush Chawla, Mitchell Johnson, Kuldeep Yadav