IPL 2022, Match 1 Preview: CSK Face KKR In Season Opener

IPL 2022: In a rematch of last year's final, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the season opener at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Saturday.

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) face Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) each other in the season opener of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, on Saturday. The match will kick-start a two-month cricket carnival which fans have been eagerly waiting for. It will also be a rematch of last year's final where CSK defeated KKR in the final.

In IPL 2022, CSK will be under a new captain with Ravindra Jadeja receiving the baton from MS Dhoni on Thursday. The defending champions will be without some of last season's star performers in the guise of Faf du Plessis, Shardul Thakur and Josh Hazlewood. Meanwhile, the side will also have some new faces with Devon Conway and Adam Milne joining ranks.

The franchise will be heavily reliant on the likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dhoni, Jadeja and Ambati Rayudu in the upcoming game. Star all-rounder Moeen Ali will be missing the opener vs KKR.

KKR also have a new captain with Shreyas Iyer replacing Eoin Morgan as skipper. KKR purchased Iyer for a huge sum of Rs 12.25 crore during the mega auction this year. Even KKR will be without some crucial players, with the likes of Shubman Gill, Rahul Tripathi and Lockie Ferguson not a part of the squad anymore.

The likes of Nitish Rana, Venkatesh Iyer, Sunil Narine will be crucial to KKR's ambitions this season.