IPL 2021, CSK vs RR.(Source: File)IPL 2021, CSK vs RR Team Playing 11: Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals bounced back after losing their opening fixtures with wins and will look to keep the momentum going.
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CSK skipper Dhoni would have been happy with the bowlers’ performance after they had been taken to the cleaners in the opener. South African pacer Lungi Ngidi is out of quarantine and could be drafted into the playing XI to give more teeth to the CSK pace attack. England all-rounder Moeen Ali was in the thick of action in the win over Punjab and that should please the CSK think-tank. He picked up a wicket with his off-spin and batted fluently.
Dhoni didn’t bat in the game against Punjab after a duck in the opening match. It remains to be seen if the captain chooses to push himself up the order and gives himself the opportunity to find some form.
Meanwhile, Royals would like to see their batsmen fire in unison as the top-order collapsed against Delhi before Miller and Chris Morris pulled them past the line. The Royals bowlers would aim to strike early blows to stifle the CSK batting which has not been dominant while the batsmen need to step up in what promises to be an interesting battle between two sides led by wicket-keepers.
Teams:
CSK: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, KM Asif, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, N Jagadeesan, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Mitchell Santner, Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shardul Thakur, Sam Curran, R Sai Kishore, Moeen Ali, K Gowtham, Cheteshwar Pujra, Harishankar Reddy, Bhagath Varma, C Hari Nishaanth
RR: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Jos Buttler (wk), Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, Anuj Rawat, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Mahipal Lomror, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, Andrew Tye, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, KC Cariappa, Liam Livingstone, Kuldip Yadav, Akash Singh
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson(w/c), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
"We're going to bowl first. It suits well in these conditions. We just need to keep it simple, we trust our team and teammates. We bat really deep. Knowing that you have a deep batting line-up allows you to express yourself. Same team. They're a tough opposition, we respect them but we're sure of giving them a tough competitive game."
Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to field!
Chennai Super Kings (Probable XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Rajasthan Royals (Probable XI): Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Riyan Parag, David Miller, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya
Both CSK and RR are looking for their second wins of the ongoing tournament this year. Follow all the live updates here.
When the first-ever finalists last met in the IPL 2020, it proved to be a one-sided affair. The CSK innings never got going and as a result, the MS Dhoni-led side could only muster 125/5 in 20 overs. In reply, a Jos Buttler masterclass, where he made an unbeaten 70 in 48 balls, helped RR go past the line comfortably with 15 balls to spare. In the other fixture, RR beat CSK by 17 runs in Sharjah.
The two teams have played 23 matches against each other in the IPL, with CSK winning 14 matches and RR winning 9.
Chennai Super Kings (Probable XI): Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C and WK), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
Rajasthan Royals (Probable XI): Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, David Miller, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya
Sanju Samson has been dismissed three times by Deepak Chahar in the IPL. MS Dhoni has a terrific record against Jaydev Unadkat Dhoni has smashed him for 83 runs off 36 balls, while Unadkat has dismissed Dhoni only once.
The Wankhede has witnessed something different this time as 16 wickets have fallen in the PowerPlay. 15 of those wickets have been picked by pacers. Win the toss and bowl first is the way to go at this venue.
CSK's Suresh Raina has scored 609 runs in 21 innings against Rajasthan which includes four half-centuries.
Ravindra Jadeja has picked 16 wickets in as many games against RR.
What's happening in the dressing room!
In IPL history so far, both teams have clashed in 23 games of which 14 matches have been won by Chennai Super Kings, while Rajasthan Royals have won 9 games. Since 2015, both teams are neck and neck against each other winning 4 matches each.