Chennai Super Kings will face the Rajasthan Royals on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in the match 12 of the Indian Premier League 2021.
Both sides are on the same situation after losing their opening encounter and wining last encounters. Two teams are high on confidence after winning last encounters. Royals beat Delhi Capitals in a thriller that went till the last over, while CSK defeated Punjab Kings in a one sided game.
The two sides, who face off at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, will want to build on their first wins and gain momentum going forward. Both teams have played 24 matches in the IPL, with CSK winning 14 matches and RR winning 10.
CSK skipper Dhoni would have been happy with the bowlers performance after setting up a six-wicket victory against Punjab with the help of Deepak Chahar’s four-wicket haul broke the back of the Punjab’s strong batting line-up. In the previous encounter, Chahar came up with a fine spell and restricted Punjab on 106 which the batsmen chased down easily. The CSK will expect Chahar to continue the good work while also hoping that Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur and the others also step up.
South African pacer Lungi Ngidi is out of quarantine and could get a chance to the playing XI to strengthen the CSK’s pace attack. England all-rounder Moeen Ali was sensational with the bat and ball as he picked up a wicket with his off-spin and batted fluently.
Faf du Plessis made an unbeaten 36 against Punjab but Ruturaj Gaikwad and Ambati Rayudu need runs to get their confidence back. Suresh Raina’s presence has certainly boosted the CSK batting unit and his form will be crucial in the long run. Dhoni didn’t bat in the game against Punjab after a duck in the opening match.
Royals would like to see their batsmen fire as their top-order collapsed against Delhi before Miller and Chris Morris pulled them past the line. The experienced pacer Jaydev Unadkat underscored his value with a superb spell against Delhi while the young Chetan Sakariya has shown promise. The experience of Morris and Mustafizur Rahman could be crucial in tight situations.
Predictable XIs:
CSK : Ruturaj Gaikwad/ Robin Uthappa, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c and wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo/Lungi Ngidi , Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
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RR : Manan Vohra, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c and wk), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman
Time:- 7:30 PM IST
Venue:- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.