The Royals will face the Kings in the second match of a Super Saturday in Abu Dhabi. Every game from here on will be a thriller, as the business end of the tournament is here. It is a must-win game for the Rajasthan Royals as they have just eight points from ten matches. They need to break the shackles and win this match to gain some winning momentum, which will eventually help them to qualify for the playoffs. On the other hand, Chennai is sitting comfortably at the top of the points table and they will look to play for the top spot on the points table.
Chennai and Rajasthan are known for their flamboyant batting, and we shall witness the same in today’s match. The last time when these two sides met, CSK scored a mammoth total of 188 in their 20 overs which eventually was enough for them to win the game. Rajasthan faced a disappointing defeat as they lost by 45 runs which is a big margin in a T20 match. Moeen Ali was the star player of the match, as he picked up three wickets and scored 26 runs. Rajasthan needs to turn the table in Abu Dhabi to be alive in the race for the playoffs.
Head-to-head
The first finalists of the inaugural season of the IPL have a great history between them. Big scores, close fights have always been the case whenever these two sides collide in the IPL. But when it comes to the count, CSK has had the upper hand over the first winners of the league, the Rajasthan Royals. CSK has won 15 out of the 24 matches in the IPL against RR. In the last five encounters between these two sides, RR has just won two, whereas CSK has won three games, including their recent clash in India in IPL 2021. Sanju Samson needs to fix this tally and increase their wins against CSK by winning the contest in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Players to watch out for – RR
RR needs their captain to fire in this crucial match against CSK. Samson needs to look back at his performances and do better than what he achieved against CSK in his IPL career. He still has a decent strike rate of 129.41 and also has the highest score of 74. For his team to win this contest, he needs to achieve more or the same. The other key player to watch out for is the most expensive player in IPL history, Chris Morris. Morris hasn’t had the best of IPL this year with the ball, but the big man from South Africa is a player for big occasions. His team needs him to stand up and perform like he has done before against CSK. Morris has picked six wickets in just three matches at a strike rate of 12 against CSK throughout his IPL career. He also has an amazing economy of 5.91 against CSK and has the best figure of three for 19 runs. These two big players are the key to RR’s success in this match against the Kings from Chennai.
Players to watch out for – CSK
In this year’s IPL, CSK players have been in form, which explains why they are on top in the points table. Ravindra Jadeja has proved his worth as an all-rounder in the shortest format of the game as he has been in sublime form for CSK in IPL 2021 with both bat and ball. RR might be his favourite opposition as he has bowled exceptionally well against them. Jadeja has 17 wickets in 15 matches at an average of 20.82. Jadeja is in his purple patch in IPL 2021 and is certainly a player to watch out for against RR on Saturday. Faf du Plessis is another player on whom RR would be eyeing to dismiss early in the match, as he is another player who has been in good touch in this year’s IPL. Faf has also performed brilliantly against RR, as he has scored 270 runs in nine matches at an average of 30. Last year too, in Sharjah Faf was the man who scored the highest runs against RR. Jadeja and Faf along with players like Moeen and Gaikwad are the players to watch out for from the CSK camp in the encounter against RR in Abu Dhabi.
Probable XI
RR will have to find the right combination for this match as they haven’t managed to find the winning combination yet. There might be a few changes in the RR camp after two losses in a row against SRH and RCB. They would rope in the experienced David Miller in place of the out-of-form Liam Livingstone. They might also bring in Shivam Dube, who can hit big sixes and provide the captain with an extra bowling option. He should replace Riyan Parag, who has had an awful IPL 2021. CSK might also make a few changes and rest some of their key players as they already qualified for the playoffs. Curran, Asif, and Ngidi may replace Bravo, Deepak Chahar, and Josh Hazlewood. CSK might also give K. Gowtham a debut in CSK colours in place of Shardul Thakur as the pitch and conditions in Abu Dhabi favour the spinners more.
What to expect
Even if CSK has qualified for the playoffs, they will not let RR break their winning momentum before the playoffs and put in their all in this match. RR needs to find a way to break this formidable CSK side to win this match and put a big step forward in the race for the playoffs. We should expect a close game and a cracker of a contest in Abu Dhabi.