Mahesh Theekshana, Moen Ali and Murugan Ashwin from left to right. (FILE) The in-form dynamic Rajasthan Royals opening pair of Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal will face a quality spin test at a tricky Chepauk pitch when they lock horns with some world-class short-format tweakers in the Chennai Super Kings line-up.
The England white-ball skipper and his young Indian partner have both scored a couple of half-centuries each and that too at healthy strike-rates, 180.95 for Buttler and 164.47 for Jaiswal. But in the three games that Royals have played so far, two were in Guwahati, which was the flattest batting deck amongst all the venues. The Hyderabad track was also loaded heavily in favour of batters.
And now, they come to Chennai where the ball can grip and also gets slower as the match progresses. The toss is always an important factor in Chennai as chasing anything above 170 to 175 could be a risky proposition. Especially when Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner are operating at the Chepauk and might bowl 10, if not 12, overs between them. Matches can be won and lost there.
Moeen Ali set to return
Moeen Ali is one of the integral parts of the Chennai Super Kings team with the balance he can bring to the side with both bat and ball. In the game against Lucknow Super Giants, his four-wicket spell changed the game on its head showing how lethal he can be at Chepauk. With the bat, his contributions in the middle are crucial for Super Kings as he scores his runs at a brisk pace and is a good player of spin.
Zen MOde 🔛#WhistlePodu #Yellove 🦁💛 pic.twitter.com/l55zDyJ3Mn
— Chennai Super Kings (@ChennaiIPL) April 12, 2023
Mahesh Theekshana in for Mitchell Santner
The mystery spinner since 2022 has picked up 12 wickets and has an economy rate of 7.33 at the death. His addition to the side will bolster the bowling for CSK and solve their death bowling woes to an extent. Santer despite being impressive against Mumbai Indians does not offer the same threat Theekshana does. With his availability today, it might be a straight swap to bring him in.
Murgan Ashwin to replace Sandeep Sharma
The leg-spinner is a seasoned campaigner in the IPL and Chepauk is his home ground in domestic cricket. He was brought in as an impact player in the game Delhi Capitals. However, bowled only one over. Chennai pitch is historically known to assist spinners more than seamers. The Royals think tank would be tempted to go with Ashwin instead of Sandeep Sharma whose strength is to swing the new ball which he might not get a lot in Chennai.
CSK vs RR Predicted XI
CSK predicted XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Sisandga Magala, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande
Impact player: Simarjeet Singh
RR predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, R Ashwin, M Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact player: Devdutt Padikkal
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