IPL 2022: Red soil pitch prepared at Wankhede for CSK vs KKR; how it may affect both teams

The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off on March 26 with a clash between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and runners-up Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). The blockbuster opener is scheduled to be held at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium, where the pitch is made up of red soil. Here's how the red soil pitch will impact the match between CSK and KKR.

The Wankhede is more equipped to help pacers than spinners. 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 stadium's red soil has historically aided teams batting second. The dew factor also comes into play for teams chasing a total at the Wankhede. 

Both CSK and KKR will look to the field first after winning the toss on Saturday. Both the teams will be led by their respective newly-appointed captains - Ravindra Jadeja and Shreyas Iyer. The average score at the Wankhede is 175 runs. Meanwhile, CSK will be missing one of its key pacers, Deepak Chahar for the first few games this season. KKR will also miss the services of its key pacer Pat Cummins as the Australian bowler is currently in Pakistan for a bilateral series. 

CSK and KKR squads for IPL 2022

Chennai Super Kings: 1. Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2. Moeen Ali, 3. MS Dhoni, 4. Ravindra Jadeja, 5. Dwayne Bravo, 6. Robin Uthappa, 7. Ambati Rayudu, 8. Deepak Chahar, 9. KM Asif, 10. Tushar Deshpande, 11. Shivam Dube, 12. Maheesh Theekshana, 13. Rajvardhan Hangargekar, 14. Simarjeet Singh, 15. Devon Conway, 16. Dwaine Pretorius, 17. Mitchell Santner, 18. Adam Milne, 19. Subhranshu Senapati, 20. Mukesh Choudhary, 21. Prashant Solanki, 22. C Hari Nishaanth, 23. N Jagadeesan, 24. Chris Jordan, 25. K Bhagath Varma. 

Kolkata Knight Riders: 1. Venkatesh Iyer, 2. Varun Chakravarthy, 3. Andre Russell, 4. Sunil Narine, 5. Shreyas Iyer, 6. Pat Cummins, 7. Nitish Rana, 8. Shivam Mavi, 9. Sheldon Jackson, 10. Ajinkya Rahane, 11. Rinku Singh, 12. Anukul Roy, 13. Rasikh Dar, 14. Baba Indrajith, 15. Chamika Karunaratne, 16. Abhijeet Tomar, 17. Pratham Singh, 18. Ashok Sharma, 19. Sam Billings, 20. Alex Hales, 21. Tim Southee, 22. Ramesh Kumar, 23. Mohammad Nabi, 25. Umesh Yadav, 25. Aman Khan.

Image: iplT20.com