IPL 2018, Match 43, RR vs CSK, Match Prediction: Who will win the match today, Rajasthan Royals or Chennai Super Kings?

Chennai Super Kings will have the opportunity to enter the playoffs as they travel to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for the return leg against the Rajasthan Royals.

Published - 10 May 2018, 22:47 IST | Updated - 10 May 2018, 22:47 IST

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The Chennai Super Kings will have the opportunity to enter the playoffs as they travel to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium for the return leg against the Rajasthan Royals. They have 14 points in their kitty already and two more will mean they finish in top 4 once again.

The scenario is however pretty different for Rajasthan who seems to be far, far away from the playoffs at this stage. They are not out of the contention yet, but from the position they have put themselves in, it’s a tall order. They need to win 4 out of 4 and they have to face some strong oppositions going ahead including CSK tomorrow.

Pitch and Conditions

The pitch the Sawai Mansingh curators produced for the previous game was not the easiest to bat on. It was slow and abrasive and apart from the period when the ball was new and hard, the batsmen had it incredibly tough to time the ball.

It might be a similar deck tomorrow considering the strength of CSK’s batting. The hosts won’t want to offer them a flat deck, otherwise, they will be right into the game with the muscle power they have with the bat.

Playing Combination

Rajasthan Royals

Probable Changes – No Change

Because of the fact that Rajasthan played two overseas bowlers against Punjab, they had no choice but to get Stuart Binny in for the no. 5 position as he is the only domestic finisher available in their squad. They would have ideally liked to have Heinrich Klaasen in, but there was no room for the South African right-hander as all the four overseas slots were taken.

It’s unlikely that Rajasthan will make any changes in their overseas quartet which means Klaasen will have to continue warming the bench and Binny will remain slotted down the order.

Predicted XI: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Krishnappa Gowtham, Mahipal Lomror, Jofra Archer, Ish Sodhi, Anureet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat

Chennai Super Kings

Probable Changes – Shardul Thakur out, KM Asif in

Shardul Thakur had flown back to Mumbai as his parents suffered a road accident yesterday and he might not be available for selection in which case KM Asif comes in as the like-for-like replacement as Deepak Chahar is still not 100% fit.

While Asif has had issues with his areas in the couple of games he has played for CSK, he has generated impressive pace and has hurried the batsmen. If he bowls with a bit more accuracy, he should be able to make a mark.

CSK handed Dhruv Shorey his IPL debut against RCB, but they slotted him at the wrong position. He needs to open the batting with Shane Watson and Ambati Rayudu needs to bat 4 as he is an experienced campaigner and has got a fair idea of how to control the innings in the middle overs.

Predicted XI: Dhruv Shorey, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Dwayne Bravo, David Willey, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, KM Asif

Team Comparison

David Willey and Lungi Ngidi have surely strengthened CSK’s bowling, but the visitors still don’t have all the bases covered with the ball. They desperately need Dwayne Bravo to come good who has proved to be very ordinary of late. The West Indian veteran must ensure he doesn’t get predictable with his slower deliveries.

Rajasthan will like their middle order to take more responsibility and capitalize on the platform laid by the players batting at the top. Ben Stokes, in particular, will have to put his hand up and justify his price tag making a substantial contribution to the team which he has failed to do so far. The English all-rounder who is the most expensive player of Rajasthan has had a mediocre tournament by his standards.