IPL 2022: Match 49 – Predicted Chennai Super Kings Playing XI vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

The defending champions Chennai Super Kings will square off against the Royals Challengers Bangalore for the second time this season in the 49^th game of the Indian Premier League 2022. CSK had defeated RCB in their previous encounter to register their first victory of the tournament after a dry spell. So far, this season has been hot and cold for the Men in Yellow and they still struggle to move upwards in the leaderboard due to a lack of victories under their belt.

With just three wins from nine games, CSK skipper MS Dhoni, who accepted the captaincy back from Ravindra Jadeja mid-season would be aiming to tick all the boxes from now on and lead his side to winning ways, as he has done it multiple times in the past. CSK had been looking for a stable opening pair, and their search might have finished when the openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway had put up a massive 182-run partnership against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last game.

Here’s the predicted Playing XI of Chennai Super Kings for Match 49 of IPL 2022:

Openers: Ruturaj Gaikwad & Devon Conway

The duo had put up a swashbuckling performance in the previous game when CSK was up against the SRH. They recorded the highest ever opening stand for their franchise by scoring 182 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad fell short of just one run from completing a well deserved century, he scored 99 runs in 57 balls, and Conway remained unbeaten throughout the game as he notched up 88* in 55 balls.

Both the openers would look to continue their good form and give CSK a good start in their next game against RCB. Gaikwad will have the home-ground advantage again, and he has also given some great performances at the MCA Stadium, Pune.

Middle-order: Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c & wk)

Robin Uthappa has been on and off with his form in the tournament for some time now, but he has given some memorable performances for CSK, especially in their previous encounter against RCB where he smashed a 50-ball 88 to help CSK post a massive score of 216/4. His heroics with the bat will be something to watch out for.

Rayudu has the ability to anchor the innings and steer the game for long if the top-order fails to do so. He has put up some good performances in the previous two games against Mumbai and Punjab where he scored 40 and 78 runs respectively. He suffered an injury to his wrist while fielding against PBKS but still managed to knock up a brilliant half-century in that match.

MS Dhoni has the leadership cap on now and his presence on the field itself means a lot to the team. His ability to read the game and play those mind games during the match has mostly worked in favour of CSK. He promoted himself up the order at No. 3 in the previous game as he entered late during the death overs to provide the finishing touch.

All-rounders: Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo

Shivam Dube missed the previous game against SRH due to unknown reasons, but he will surely be back for the upcoming match against RCB. He was awarded the Player of the Match title when the two teams clashed earlier in this season as his match-winning knock of 95*(46) helped CSK put up a huge target to chase for RCB.

Now that the captaincy burden is off his head, Ravindra Jadeja will be able to play more openly and freely. His performance had declined while trying to manage the two tasks simultaneously. But the all-rounder, who is at the peak of his career, would look to regain his mojo in the game and try to make some valuable contributions for his team.

Dwayne Bravo also missed out on the previous game, but his death-bowling skills will be needed by the team against RCB. The experience that he brings into the game and his ability to restrict the opponents from scoring big during the death overs will be a key in this contest.

Bowlers: Dwaine Pretorius, Mukesh Choudhary, Mahesh Theekshana

The South African sensation would look to focus on picking up some crucial wickets and also by not giving away too much runs in the game. He conceded 50 runs in the game against PBKS and 40 runs against SRH, but he has been backed by the team as he has also got the ability to bat and can score some runs down the order.

Mukesh Choudhary has been a great find for CSK this season. During his initial games, there were questions raised on his inclusion, but with the way he has grown and developed into the side, Deepak Chahar’s absence from the side has somewhat been fulfilled. Choudhary has proved himself as a complete bowler by putting up a string of consistent performances and scalping wickets in the powerplay as well as during the death overs.

Maheesh Theekshana was the pick of the bowlers for CSK in their last encounter against RCB. He scalped four big wickets in that match, he dismissed the opening duo in the powerplay and then went on to break RCB’s middle-order by dismissing Suyash Prabhudessai and Shahbaz Ahmed. He ended up with figures of 4/33 in that match.

CSK’s predicted playing XI for the next clash against RCB:

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Shivam Dube, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Dwayne Bravo, Dwaine Pretorius, Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana.

Check out our latest IPL Orange Cap report to know which team’s batsman is making the most runs in  IPL 2022.