Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders face-off each other in the IPL 2021 final in Dubai on Friday. Ahead of the game, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has analysed the batting lineup of both teams. Both teams have depended heavily on their top-order to get the runs and it is expected to be the same in the final. The middle-order of both the teams have struggled to get runs.

While analyzing CSK and KKR’s batting might, in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra highlighted that the openers have been instrumental in the two sides’ revival.

“It is very interesting if we do a man-to-man marking because the cream is at the top on both sides. If we talk about CSK’s resurgence, Ruturaj and Faf du Plessis’ opening partnership has changed between 2020 and 2021. The same can be said about Shubman and Venkatesh because the resurgence that has happened in the second half, it’s down to their openers” said Chopra.

Chopra said that Robin Uthappa and Rahul Tripathi are the only two batters to have held their side together in the last game. While Uthappa scored a fifty for CSK, Tripathi hit the winning runs for KKR.

“After that, the problems start; if we see towards Kolkata – Rahul Tripathi is brilliant; I think that is where they are scoring although Robin Uthappa has eventually made runs. The middle muddle that was there in Chennai, that is there on the other side as well” the former Indian batsman added.

Aakash Chopra Highlights Middle-Order Woes For Both Teams

Aakash Chopra then highlighted the middle-order problems for both sides. Dinesh Karthik and Eoin Morgan have been woefully out of form for KKR while CSK’s middle-order have struggled to get runs as well.

“Nitish Rana, Rahul Tripathi, captain Morgan and Dinesh Karthik – not a lot of form there. Rahul Tripathi is brilliant; Nitish has played few knocks but not big ones. Moeen Ali played well in the first half, but has not played well in the second half. Ambati Rayudu is their only shining grace” concluded Chopra.

---