IPL 2022: CSK or KKR - who holds the bigger advantage at Mumbai's Wankhede?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in last year's final to win their fourth IPL trophy. The man to lead  CSK to their fourth title was MS Dhoni, however, this season fans will witness the change of guard with Ravindra Jadeja being handed the responsibility of retaining the trophy after MS Dhoni had stepped down as CSK skipper just two days back. The opening match of the IPL 2022 season will witness CSK and KKR taking on each other at Wankhede stadium.

The CSK vs KKR fixture is being played as the opening fixture due to the traditional rule of playing the finalists of the last season on opening day.  Ahead of the opening IPL 2022 clash let's take a look at which team holds the advantage at this iconic ground.

CSK vs KKR: Which team will hold the advantage in the opening fixture

The pitch at Wankhede is known has always been good for batting as that is why batsmen will love to play on this wicket. The pitch will also have an even bounce as bowlers will look to get some assistance from the pitch however the shorter boundaries will make the job tougher for them. Coming into the IPL 2022 picture CSK will hold an edge over KKR having beaten them in the last fixture at the same venue.

In the previous fixture, CSK emerged victorious in the high scoring encounter. Batting first CSK managed to pile up 220 runs for the loss of just 3 wickets. Faf du Plessis top-scored for the team staying unbeaten on 95 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed with 64 runs at the top. For KKR Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell had picked up one wicket apiece.

KKR in reply lost half of their side with just 31 run son board however innings from Dinesh Karthik, Andre Russell and Pat Cummins almost took the team to victory. Karthik scored 40 off just 24 balls, while Russell smashed 54 of 22 balls. Pat Cummins single-handedly looked like taking the tea to win during the final overs scoring only to be out for 66 runs which came off just 34 balls. Deepak Chahar finished the match with 4 wickets, while Ngidi picked up 3 wickets in the team's victory.

Key stats at Wankhede ahead of the CSK vs KKR opening fixture

Fast bowlers have grabbed 73 percent of the total wickets in the last 20 matches. Pacers took 153 wickets in IPL 2019, the last edition to be fully played in India, compared to 37 for spinners.  The average 1st innings score at Wankhede stadium is 180 runs in IPL. The pitch which will be made from red soil is likely to hold up till the end of the match. The toss at the venue will also be crucial keeping the dew factor in mind in evening.