Ironically the campaign for both these teams (CSK vs RR) has been pretty much identical. Both teams have earned six points from the nine matches they have played in the competition. Both teams need to get going in the next few matches and start winning those tough matches.
Chennai have dominated this rivalry which began in the finale of the very first season. In 22 matches, Chennai have managed to be on the right end of the result on 14 occasions while Rajasthan have managed to win eight times in this fixture.
Chennai are in unfamiliar territory currently as they have qualified for the playoffs in every season so this will be the real test for the so-called ‘Dad’s Army’. Rajasthan, on the other hand, have been struggling to string victories together since they were champions in the inaugural year. This CSK vs RR match will prove to be an exciting one to watch for sure.
KEY BATTLES
Sam Curran vs Steven Smith
Sam Curran has grown leaps and bounds since the start of the season and has been one of the only positives for Chennai in this tournament. He has started to open the innings with both bat and ball as well as taken up the responsibility of bowling at the death.
Steven Smith’s woeful form this season has been one of the biggest reasons why Rajasthan have struggled to make an impression in this season. If they are to qualify for the playoff they need their captain to step up.
PLAYERS TO WATCH OUT FOR
Ravindra Jadeja
With the pitches starting to slow down Ravindra Jadeja the bowler will also be required to come to the fore if Chennai are to repeat the 2010 feat and be crowned champions again.
Robin Uthappa
Since the start of the season, Rajasthan have misused Robin Uthappa and finally, they made a sensible decision of opening with him in the previous match and he got them off to a wonderful start. Expect him to score big yet again in this match and we could see shades of his days in prime when he used to play for Kolkata.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
CSK: Shane Watson, Sam Curran, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (WK) (C), Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Piyush Chawla, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi, Shardul Thakur
RR: Ben Stokes, Robin Uthappa, Steven Smith (C), Sanju Samson, Jos Butler (WK), Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaidev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi
●●●
VISIT OUR BLOG TO GET YOUR FIX FOR ALL OF THE MOST CURRENT CRICKET NEWS STORIES & FEATURES
