IPL 2019 – Match 39: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings – CSK Predicted Playing XI

After four wins in a row, the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) were finally put off the blocks by the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the last game. The batting, which is usually the strength of the team, has faltered and the bowlers hardly had anything to defend. With both David Warner and Jonny Bairstow going bonkers, they remained clueless.

The team will be playing the next game as well on a track that is great for batting. They will be facing the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) next and will be hungry for yet another win. The side is in such a good position that they’d want to settle at nothing but the top two spots. Some changes seem mandatory in the CSK line-up for the next match.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK):

Openers (Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis)

CSK is not a team where you’d see too much chopping and changing. The captain and the management have got enough belief in the abilities of Shane Watson. He will be available for the entire tournament and will be crucial in the final few games when many of the foreign players will depart.

Keeping that in mind, they will give him as many games as possible even though he hasn’t been at his best. Faf du Plessis, on the other hand, has got off to a good start in the tournament. But in the last few games, he hasn’t been able to maintain the same level of consistency and is due for a big one. Both these men should enjoy the batting conditions at the Chinnaswamy.

Middle Order (Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c)(wk), Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav)

Suresh Raina shouldn’t look to go too aggressive right at the start. He can play cautious cricket early on and make up for the balls consumed as his innings progresses forward. It is important for him and CSK that he brings up good performances on a consistent basis. The biggest news for CSK would be the return of MS Dhoni.

Even though he seemed alright during the last game itself, it was a precautionary measure to rest him. He has got an amazing record against RCB and will look to carry on with the good form. Ambati Rayudu and Kedar Jadhav will be shuffled around with the batting order depending upon the situation of the game.

All Rounders (Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn)

Even though he played a terrible knock in the last game, Ravindra Jadeja will continue to feature in the CSK eleven. In 20 balls, the southpaw could only score 10 runs and conceded 22 runs in the 4 overs that he bowled. The bowling all-rounder will look to improve upon this performance in the upcoming game and put RCB under pressure.

CSK could bring Scott Kuggeleijn back into the eleven for this encounter. The Bangalore pitch has had slightly better assistance for the pacers in the last few matches. Playing three spinners might not be the best of ideas here at this venue as they might go for quite a few runs.

Bowlers (Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir)

With Kuggeleijn back in the eleven, Deepak Chahar could be back bowling three or four overs right at the top. He swings the ball both the ways and should rely on his strength. Shardul Thakur is a decent option at the death. The pacer should look to tighten the lengths that he bowls as he tends to leak a lot of runs. If he can pick one or two wickets at the top, it would be great for his team.

Imran Tahir will be the other spinner in this line-up. The leg-spinner will have a massive role to play in this game. If he can pick up the wicket of anyone between Virat Kohli or AB de Villiers, he will place his team ahead in the race. His four overs could potentially decide the result of the match.

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