Kolkata (PTI): With the semifinal race getting hot with each match passing, Chennai Super Kings would look to get vital points as they clash against inconsistent Kolkata Knight Riders their Indian Premier League outing here on Sunday.

Placed third with 12 points from 10 matches, the visitors would be keen to cash in on the brittle batting of the Kolkata side, who folded up for a miserly 67 in their IPL game opposite Mumbai Indians yesterday to slip to the sixth position.

The hosts now are on 10 points from as many ties, and need to improve upon their team game to put it across Chennai, who have stars like Stephen Fleming, Michael Hussey, Mutthiah Muralitharan, Jacob Oram in their ranks as the race intensifies for the four semi-final berths.

Both the sides lost their previous encounter against Mumbai Indians and would be keen to boost their tally by two points before a full house of 85,000 at the Eden Gardens.

The tournament's highest paid cricketer and Indian ODI captain M S Dhoni has led the batting display of the Super Kings, plundering 332 runs at an awesome strike rate of 131.74 while fancied Aussie willower Hussey has emerged as the most attacking player of the side (SR 168).

In the bowling department, Laxmipathy Balaji is coming off a hat-trick, while medium pacer Manpreet Gony leads the team bowling chart with 11 scalps, followed by Joginder Sharma (11).

The legendary offie Muralitharan has picked up just half a dozen wickets, but his very presence gives the bowling an awesome look.