In the 43rd match of Vivo Indian Premier League (IPL 2018) Ajinkya Rahane-led Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on Chennai Super Kings led by MS Dhoni at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Back to winning ways after a hat-trick of defeats, a desperate Rajasthan Royals will face a herculean task when they take on mighty Chennai Super Kings in a must-win game in IPL today’s match. The RR outfit didn't have the best of campaigns so far in IPL 2018 and are placed sixth with just eight points from 10 games in Vivo IPL points table.
Three consecutive defeats have more or less sealed their fate but Rajasthan Royals somehow managed to keep themselves afloat with a 15-run win over Kings XI Punjab in their previous game. But for things to turn around for the Rajasthan Royals, every aspect of their game needs to improve and click for them in the remaining four games. Today’s IPL match would also provide Rajasthan Royals a chance to avenge their 64-run loss to CSK at Pune in their previous encounter. Standing precariously, the Ajinkya Rahane-led side need to win today’s IPL match to keep alive their play-off chances. A defeat will definitely end their hopes. The hosts are back on their home turf, Jaipur, where they have recorded three of their four victories and this might work for Rajasthan Royals going into today’s crucial game. RR were badly hurt by the lackluster performance of their batsmen and bowlers in IPL 2018. Average performance by captain Rahane and Sanju Samson and below-par show of star English all-rounder Ben Stokes and Rahul Tripathi has hurt Royals badly and the hosts need its batting unit to fire in unison against the formidable Chennai Super Kings. English wicket-keeper batsman Jos Buttler came to Rajsthan Royals' rescue in the previous match smashing a 58-ball 82 to take the hosts to 158 for eight, a target which their bowlers defended, thanks to impressive performances from Krishnappa Gowtham, Kiwi spinner Ish Sodhi and Jofra Archer.
On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings are sitting pretty at the second spot with 14 points from 10 games in the Vivo IPL points table and a win from their remaining four games would be enough to seal their place in the play-offs. Returning to the Indian Premier League after serving a two-year suspension, CSK are in red-hot form in IPL 2018 under talismanic skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Their batsmen are in top form but bowling still remains a concern for CSK, despite a fine performance against Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous match. CSK bowlers finally came to the party on May 5, restricting RCB to 127 for nine, a target which they chased down with six wickets in hand. Left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja (3/18) and veteran Harbhajan Singh (2/22) were the wrecker-in-chief for CSK against RCB. However, the pace trio of Lungi Ngidi, David Willey and Shardul Thakur needs to take up more responsibility upfront in the absence of injured Deepak Chahar. The Chennai batsmen, though, are on song and most are among runs with Ambati Rayudu, Australian Shane Watson, West Indian Dwayne Bravo, skipper Dhoni and Suresh Raina all contributing when the team needed them. Rayudu, especially, has batted well both as an opener and at number four, and is currently at the third position in the run-scorers chart with 423 runs from 10 games. Skipper Dhoni, on his part, has reminded his critics that he is not past his prime with his trademark towering sixes. Dhoni is seventh on the run scorers list with 360 runs that include three half-centuries with 79 not out being the highest.
CSK playing 11 for today’s IPL match: MS Dhoni, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, Sam Billings, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, David Willey, Karn Sharma
Rajasthan Royals (RR) playing 11 for today’s IPL match: Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Butler, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Mahipal Lormor, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Ish Sodhi, Stuart Binny, Jaydev Unadkat, Anureet Singh
Here are a few things to know before the Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (CSK vs RR) match to be played at Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, the two teams' players who could prove handy, and who has said what before the clash:
Rajasthan Royals batsmen who might make an impact in IPL today’s match (CSK vs RR): The Rajasthan Royals’ captain Ajinkya Rahane has been hitting the ball brilliantly too, though he will be disappointed that he couldn’t finish off the previous match. Sanju Samson is another of the Royals’ in-form batsmen, and his team will need him to convert starts to a big score – just like he did when he scored the impressive 92 not out against RCB. Time is fast running out for Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, who are yet to make a major contribution with the bat and Butler has shown his class at the top of the batting order in the previous match against Delhi Daredevils. It will be interesting to see how he will play today.
Rajasthan Royals bowlers who might make an impact in IPL today’s match (CSK vs RR): In only two outings, Jofra Archer has collected two 3-wicket hauls to become the Rajasthan Royals’ most successful bowler this season. The 23-year old has bowled lively pace, shown good control and has been impressive with the new ball and at the death. Using K Gowtham to open the bowling has been a very smart move by the Royals; the Karnataka all-rounder has been by and large economical and has dismissed some big names in the opposition. Gowtham’s wickets this season include Brendon McCullum, Chris Lynn, Robin Uthappa, Shikhar Dhawan and Alex Hales.
Chennai Super Kings players that could prove handy in today’s match (CSK vs RR): Shane Watson consistency at the top of the batting order was a great boon for CSK. Ambati Rayudu was the batsmen on whom Dhoni had bank upon as he proved useful for the team, batting at different positions as per the team requirement. Suresh Raina looked good in patches while Dhoni again proved himself as a finisher. In the bowling department, Lungi Ngidi gave CSK the fast bowling option that was missing in their armour while KM Asif and Shardul Thakur assisted Ngidi brilliantly by restricting the run-flow on the other end. Bravo as death bowling expert delivered at crucial junctures and has won matches for CSK in IPL 2018.
What Stephen Fleming said on the eve of CSK vs RR match: Chennai Super Kings need just one win from their remaining four matches to book a play-offs berth but head coach Stephen Fleming today said that his side will not be complacent when they take on Rajasthan Royals in today’s IPL match. "The teams (like Rajasthan Royals) which are in a situation where they have to win each game can be dangerous. We would be playing with full intensity. We know we are a couple of games ahead but we don't want to be in a situation where we need to scrape through in last games. We will not be complacent," Fleming said at pre-match press conference.
What Mike Hussey said about Dhoni’s stumping abilities: Heaping praise on skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batting coach Mike Hussey has termed the former India Test wicket-keeper as the man having the fastest draw of as far as stumping off spinners is concerned. "My observations are he's (Dhoni) got to be the fastest in the world against the spinners in taking the bails off. He's unbelievably quick," said the former Australia player after CSK had routed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) by six wickets in an IPL match.
Rajasthan Royals to don pink jersey against CSK in today’s IPL match: Struggling to stay alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Rajasthan Royals hope for a change in fortune as they plan to don a special pink jersey in Friday's home match against the Chennai Super Kings, to raise awareness about early cancer screening. As part of the Rajasthan Royals' Cancer out campaign, skipper Ajinkya Rahane along with his teammates Heinrich Klaasen, Krishnappa Gowtham and Mahipal Lomror on Wednesday got themselves screened in an urge to promote early cancer screening. "As a player I think this initiative is a small but crucial step towards a direction of cancer-free society and I hope that we perform to the best of our ability to raise as much awareness as we can," Rahane said in a statement.
Mark Wood ends IPL stint early for Pakistan Tests: England pacer Mark Wood has cut short his Indian Premier League (IPL) stint with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to prepare for this month's Test series against Pakistan. The 28-year-old was released by the Mahendra Singh Dhoni-led side after appearing in just one match for the team and now he is all set to head Durham for the five-match series. Taking to his Instagram account, Wood wrote that he had worked really hard to get back into the Test side and, therefore, he would now play for Durham to boost his chances of selection in Playing XI, ESPNcricinfo reported. "The decision has been made for me to return home to England to prepare for the English summer.Having worked so hard to get back into the test team, and because I'm not currently not in the CSK side, I am coming home to play for Durham to hopefully put my name in the hat for Test match selection," Wood said.
Play-offs, final set for an early start in IPL 2018: The Indian Premier League (IPL) Governing Council has decided to tweak the timings of play-offs and final match of the ongoing 11th edition of the tournament. Confirming the news, IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla said that the playoffs and summit showdown will now begin at 7 pm instead of the usual time of 8 pm. It should be noted that all the matches have been starting at 8 pm since the beginning of the tournament. With the development, the games would now conclude at around 10:30 pm instead of 11:30 pm. Earlier, the Maharashtra Cricket Association's International Stadium in Pune was scheduled to host the playoffs, but since it became the Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) home ground, the IPL governing council decided the shift the matches to Kolkata's Eden Gardens. The Qualifier 1 and finals will go ahead as scheduled at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on May 22 and May 27 respectively.
HC modifies interim order asking Airtel to change disclaimer of its IPL commercials: The Delhi High Court modified its single judge's interim orders asking Bharti Airtel to make changes to its advertisements offering "live and free access" to IPL coverage by carrying a disclaimer of a larger font size in a prominent and visible place. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Gita Mittal and Justice C Hari Shankar while passing the order also questioned the maintainability of the suit filed by Reliance JIO (RJIO) which alleged that Airtel's advertisement was "deceptive and misleading". "Prima facie we have strong reservations about the maintainability of the plea," the court said while setting aside the second interim order passed by the single judge on May 2. The single judge in his May 2 order had asked Airtel to use font of 12 pixels in print media and that too in a prominent and visible place and not at the bottom. The high court, however, allowed the first interim order of April 13 to continue to operate.
The team head to head ahead of IPL today’s match Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals (CSK vs RR)
Overall:
Matches – 18,
Rajasthan Royals won – 6,
Chennai Super Kings won – 12