IPL 2020 | Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals - Statistical Preview
Faf du Plessis scored 46-ball 57 runs in the last match against RCB
|In a reverse fixture, Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings - the first of which was won by Rajasthan in a run-feast, in a bid to break their losing streak. While Rajasthan will hope Sanju Samson stops playing reckless shots, Chennai will bank on Faf du Plessis to score runs for them.
Form Guide
Chennai Super Kings - L W L L WĀ
Looking like the pale version of their former selves, both CSK and Dhoni have struggled to perform this season. They are sending Sam Curran to utilize the powerplay but they again go back to playing without any intent when Sam gets out, which leads to them ending few runs short of the par score. Their bowling has been good, but it is their fielding that came under the scanner in the last match as they dropped four catches of Shikhar Dhawan. They have looked good on the few occasions everything has clicked for them but then have struggled on the other occasions. Hence, they will have good competition against Rajasthan - against whom Chennai lost their second match of the season.Ā
Rajasthan Royals - L L W L LĀ
One win sandwiched between four losses gives a good context about the kind of form Rajasthan has been in this season, winning just 3 matches out of 9. In their last match against RCB, they were blown away by the AB storm that hit them late in the innings and lost the match after being favorites for quite some time. Fortunately for them, their captain Steve Smith is back in form, which can make a huge impact in their matches. All their players are individually performing but not clicking as a team. At times, when they have clicked together - they looked like a world-class team. They would be backing themselves to beat Chennai after already defeating them earlier.Ā
Key BatsmanĀ
Chennai Super Kings - Faf du Plessis
With 365 runs in 9 matches, Faf du Plessis has been the best batsman of Chennai by far. He has stood up in tough times for the team and has middled every ball right from the start when everyone else around him struggled to get going. In the last match as well, he was the highest run-scorer for Chennai, scoring 47-ball 58. If anything, he is the most obvious choice to be the key batsman for Chennai and he will play a crucial role if Chennai are to win against Rajasthan.Ā
Rajasthan Royals - Steve Smith
The Rajasthan skipper finally returned to form in the last game against Bangalore, where he smashed a 36-ball 57 to put his team in contention to win the match after failing for multiple innings prior to that. He timed the ball amazingly well, which would be a danger sign for Chennai. Given that he will play the role of an anchor and has to bat throughout the innings if Rajasthan were to score big, he will be the key batsman for Rajasthan against Chennai.Ā
Key Bowlers
Chennai Super Kings - Sam Curran
Sam Curran has bowled excellently well this season, taking early wickets for Chennai as well as coming back at the death overs to stop the flow of runs. Having taken 10 wickets in 9 matches at an economy 8.57, he was delivered when MS Dhoni has called him on with the ball. In the last match, he bowled a brilliant penultimate over - giving just 4 runs, but it all went to a losing cause as Dwayne Bravo couldnāt bowl the last over. He will be the main bowler for Chennai.Ā
Rajasthan Royals - Jofra Archer
He has bowled fast, he has bowled accurate and he has castled batsmen with his deadly pace in IPL 2020, making him the most obvious choice for the key bowler for Rajasthan. Having taken 12 wickets in 9 matches, he has been at his absolute best with the ball, but his teammates have not provided him the support to turn results in their favour. Chennai will be keeping an eye on the English pacer.Ā
Probable XI
CSK: Faf du Plessis, Sam Curran, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Kedar Jadhav, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma, Deepak Chahar.
RR: Robin Uthappa, Ben Stokes, Steven Smith, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat.
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
When to Watch: Oct 19, 7.30 PM IST
Where to Watch: Star Sports Network and Hotstar (in India)
