Chennai: To strengthen their position in the race for the IPL playoffs, Chennai Super Kings have a huge challenge to defeat injury-hit Rajasthan Royals here on Sunday.
Let's quickly evaluate the situations of the two heroes. Supe Kings are currently placed fourth with 12 points from 12 matches, but the defeat against Gujarat Titans on Friday has added to the pressure on them, and they now need to win their remaining two matches.
Royals, on the other hand, are in second place with 16 points, but they are smarting from two consecutive defeats against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals.
They are in no real danger of missing a playoff spot, but the Sanju Samson-Leigh team will be keen to get back to winning ways as soon as possible and enter the knockouts.What cost CSK against GT was the failure of their top order which included Ajinkya Rahane, Rachin Ravindra and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and they will be desperate to find the rhythm in Chepauk.
Ravindra may be given another chance against the Royals, but it could be a do or die situation for him.
Although it was pleasant to see Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali scoring runs, Shiv Dubey, who has been CSK's stalwart this season, has been quiet since being selected in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
After scoring 21 runs in 13 balls against GT, he has two reasons for aggression - to justify his selection for the World Cup and to take his team closer to the playoffs.
As for CSK's bowling, Tushar Deshpande once again performed aggressively against GT, while Shardul Thakur surprised everyone with his economical bowling.However, Chennai bowlers are expected to perform well in this encounter on home ground, their strong area.
Less amount of dew can help CSK's spinners in this afternoon match.
On the other hand, Rajasthan, desperate to end their losing streak, could not have asked for a more suitable opponent than the volatile CSK.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has not been at his best this season, will be desperate to prove his worth before heading to the US for the T2 World Cup.
Captain Samson will have many eyes on him, given the fact that he is also in the World Cup, and he will demand more support from players like Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey and Rovman Powell.Experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took three wickets in the last match against DC, will be hoping for his chances on his home track and the presence of experienced players.
Yuzvendra Chahal will further strengthen the bowling unit of RR.
Although Avesh Khan was not so impressive against Delhi, he may still get another chance as he needs to gain some confidence before traveling to the World Cup as a reserve.
Squad:
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Aravelli Avneesh, Ajinkya Rahane, Shai Rashid, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dubey, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jada Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu. Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chaudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Prashan Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Mahesh Theekshana, Sameer Rizvi.
RR: Sanju Samson (captain), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruva Jurel, Ryan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Krunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Awes Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nander Berger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.Match start: 3.30 pm Indian time
Let's quickly evaluate the situations of the two heroes. Supe Kings are currently placed fourth with 12 points from 12 matches, but the defeat against Gujarat Titans on Friday has added to the pressure on them, and they now need to win their remaining two matches.
Royals, on the other hand, are in second place with 16 points, but they are smarting from two consecutive defeats against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Delhi Capitals.
They are in no real danger of missing a playoff spot, but the Sanju Samson-Leigh team will be keen to get back to winning ways as soon as possible and enter the knockouts.What cost CSK against GT was the failure of their top order which included Ajinkya Rahane, Rachin Ravindra and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and they will be desperate to find the rhythm in Chepauk.
Ravindra may be given another chance against the Royals, but it could be a do or die situation for him.
Although it was pleasant to see Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali scoring runs, Shiv Dubey, who has been CSK's stalwart this season, has been quiet since being selected in the Indian squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
After scoring 21 runs in 13 balls against GT, he has two reasons for aggression - to justify his selection for the World Cup and to take his team closer to the playoffs.
As for CSK's bowling, Tushar Deshpande once again performed aggressively against GT, while Shardul Thakur surprised everyone with his economical bowling.However, Chennai bowlers are expected to perform well in this encounter on home ground, their strong area.
Less amount of dew can help CSK's spinners in this afternoon match.
On the other hand, Rajasthan, desperate to end their losing streak, could not have asked for a more suitable opponent than the volatile CSK.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has not been at his best this season, will be desperate to prove his worth before heading to the US for the T2 World Cup.
Captain Samson will have many eyes on him, given the fact that he is also in the World Cup, and he will demand more support from players like Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey and Rovman Powell.Experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who took three wickets in the last match against DC, will be hoping for his chances on his home track and the presence of experienced players.
Yuzvendra Chahal will further strengthen the bowling unit of RR.
Although Avesh Khan was not so impressive against Delhi, he may still get another chance as he needs to gain some confidence before traveling to the World Cup as a reserve.
Squad:
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Aravelli Avneesh, Ajinkya Rahane, Shai Rashid, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dubey, RS Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Jada Mandal, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Nishant Sindhu. Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mukesh Chaudhary, Simarjeet Singh, Prashan Solanki, Shardul Thakur, Mahesh Theekshana, Sameer Rizvi.
RR: Sanju Samson (captain), Jos Buttler, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruva Jurel, Ryan Parag, Donovan Ferreira, Krunal Rathore, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Sen, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Awes Khan, Rovman Powell, Shubham Dubey, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Abid Mushtaq, Nander Berger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj.Match start: 3.30 pm Indian time
