Rajasthan Royals are staring down the barrel. They have lost 3 games in a row. RR are currently stranded at the 7th spot. They will be up against a dominant CSK side who have already qualified for the playoffs. There couldn’t have been a bigger David vs Goliath battle than this.lets analyse more about RR vs CSK match.

RR vs CSK: Form Preview

Is it game over for RR?

Rajasthan Royals squandered 3 golden chances to progress ahead in the tournament. They lost 3 games from a relative position of strength. RR are currently stranded at 7th spot in the points table. Their overseas contributions have been in short supply. Apart from their top order, nothing has gone right for the Royals in UAE. Their bowlers did put spirited show across all 4 games but they haven’t been able to reverse RR’s fortunes. They are in a do-or-die scenario now and up against them are table-toppers, CSK.

What will CSK play for?

CSK became the first team to qualify for the playoffs post defeating SRH. They have 9 wins under their belt. CSK are yet to lose a game in UAE. They are currently riding an unseen wave. CSK have the best net run rate among all teams. They are easily the best T20 unit going around currently. CSK have their focus set on a top-2 finish. They have already defeated Royals once in the league. There is very little to suggest that it might be otherwise this time around.

RR vs CSK: Favourites?

Royals desperately need their big guns to fire in this must-win game against CSK. But such has been their fate this season that now they are up against the number 1 team currently. RR have to play out of their skins to stage an upset against CSK.

Which players will be match-winners in this game?

David Miller might get a look in. His presence lends solidity to RR’s middle-order.

Deepak Chahar will be the one to look out for especially if the pitch aids seam and swing at the start of the innings.

X-factor player:

Sanju Samson is in top form this season. He needs to fire big time for CSK.

Moeen Ali brings a lot of batting might at the top of the order. He surely is CSK’s batting X-factor.

Probable Playing XI:

Chennai Super Kings predicted XI:

Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Dwayne Bravo/Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazelwood

Rajasthan Royals predicted XI:

Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Liam Livingstone/David Miller, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag/Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Tabraiz Shamsi/Chris Morris, Kartik Tyagi, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman

What do stats say about RR vs CSK?

RR and CSK have played 24 IPL games against each other.

RR has won 9 games. CSK has won 15 matches.

RR’s highest score against CSK is 223. CSK’s highest score against RR is 246.

RR’s lowest score against CSK is 126. CSK’s lowest score against RR is 109. 

Pitch:

The Sheikh Zayed Stadium has long square boundaries. Spinners will enjoy these long boundaries. There will be something in it for the pacers too. Batsmen can count on the true bounce of the surface.

Weather Report:

A high of 35 degrees and a low of 32 degrees is expected. There are no chances of rain. Dew might not play a big factor at this venue.

Ground stats:

A total of 51 matches has been played at this venue. Teams batting first have won 22 games while chasing teams have won 29. The average scoring batting first at this venue is 140. On the other hand, the average 2nd innings score is a paltry 129. Anything above 165 will be a par score.

StumpsandBails verdict:

RR face an uphill task against CSK. The men in yellow start red hot favourites in this contest.