Chennai Super Kings host Rajasthan Royals in match 37 of IPL 2020 in Abu Dhabi on Monday, October 19. It’s the bottom of the table clash with the Royals and the Kings placed just above each other. Both Royals and Super Kings lost their previous games coming into this game. Both teams are in a must-win territory now having played nine games each and winning just three each. More about the CSK vs RR match preview in detail below.
Chennai Super Kings lost their previous match against Delhi Capitals. MS Dhoni’s tactics as captain was once again questioned as Ravindra Jadeja bowled the final over of the game giving away 18 runs. With the bat as well, CSK did not muster enough runs to challenge Delhi. As it turned out, 179 was not enough to challenge the mighty Capitals.
Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals Round 2
Finding the perfect team combination is still a problem for CSK, who have been plagued by injuries off late as well. Dwayne Bravo injured his hamstring in the last game, which added to he concerns all the more for the Men in Yellow. MS Dhoni’s form with the bat has been another major concern for CSK. He has scored 136 runs from nine games with an average of 27. Meanwhile, he has batted at various positions but has failed to maximise the benefits out of it.
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Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur has majorly shared their bowling responsibilities in the tournament. Together the two has taken 17 wickets so far. However, not getting any support from Jadeja and the other bowlers have posed a problem for them. With five more matches to go in the league stage, CSK needs to find winning ways to get back in the tournament.
Rajasthan Royals, are not very different to how CSK has played in the season so far. They have lost games from potentially winning positions. Against Delhi Capitals especially, the Royals have faltered twice and given the match away from winning situations.
They have failed to sort out their top-order. Almost every second game, they have opened with two different batsmen and in the process has lacked to form the right top-order combination. Steve Smith, Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler has blown hot and cold for them in the season so far.
With the ball, Jofra Archer has been the lone warrior for Rajasthan. 12 from nine games in the tournament, Archer has bowled with pace and fire in the season so far. Shreyas Gopal has been the only other bowler who has been amongst the wickets for the Royals. Ben Stokes joining late in the side has not quite fired for the Royals as well. However, with their backs to the wall, its time that Stokes joins the party as well.
Head to Head
Out of the 23 matches played between both teams, CSK have won 14 games while Royals just nine. The Royals beat CSK in a high-scoring game.
Pitch & Weather Conditions
The evenings have got a bit pleasant in Abu Dhabi. Teams are willing to bat first as the second half of the tournament progresses at this venue. Bigger grounds and the slowness of the pitch are making it increasingly difficult for the batters to force the issue in the second innings. With less dew in the games now, toss becomes a crucial factor in the game.
Team News
CSK are battling with injuries as Bravo is the latest addition to the list. With CSK needing personnel to win them games, it will be interesting to see the changes that they make in this game and the remaining matches.
The Royals opened with Robin Uthappa against RCB and he flourished. Another failure would have seen the franchise probably dropping him. Now, they will perhaps play the same XI that they played against RCB despite the loss. If at all, Jaydev Unadkat might be replaced with Varun Aaron.
Squads
Chennai Super Kings
Sam Curran, Piyush Chawla, Josh Hazelwood, R Sai Kishore, MS Dhoni (captain), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Faf Du Plessis, Murali Vijay, Kedar Jadhav, Rituraj Gaikwad, Karn Sharma, Imran Tahir, Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Monu Singh, Lungi Ngidi, N Jagadeesan
Rajasthan Royals
Ankit Rajpoot, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Jos Buttler, Mahipal Lomror, Manan Vohra, Mayank Markande, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Sanju Samson, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Steven Smith, Varun Aaron, Akash Singh, Anirudha Joshi, Anuj Rawat, Andrew Tye, David Miller, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Oshane Thomas, Robin Uthappa, Tom Curran, Yashasvi Jaiswal
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