Chennai Super Kings have been the most dominant side in IPL 12 so far and they stamped their authority after thumping Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 wickets in the 23rd match of the competition. They have looked the most settled franchise in the tournament. Skipper MS Dhoni has also done a terrific job as a skipper, batsman and a wicket-keeper. He has handled his troops brilliantly and had made terrific changes in the playing XI.
He has used Harbhajan Singh quite brilliantly. Dhoni has only included him in the XI when the pitch is conducive to spin bowling. The Chennai pitch has been quite sluggish this year with two of the low scoring matches taking place at the Cheapuk. In the first match of the tournament, Royal Challengers Bangalore was skittled out for a meagre 70 runs. Even yesterday KKR struggled their way to 108 only due to an impressive half-century from the blade of Andre Russell.
Chennai Super Kings has looked the most consistent franchise in the tournament
The opening duo of Faf du Plessis and Shane Watson has struck form which will definitely keep Chennai in good stead. The match will be played at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur which will definitely give some advantage to the Rajasthan Royals. However the form, CSK has been in the tournament so far we might again see a masterclass from the most successful franchise in the tournament.
Rajasthan Royals have looked pear shaped in the tournament and has only won a solitary match from their 5 outings. The victory came against the bottom-placed Royal Challengers Bangalore who is yet to win a match in the tournament from their 6 outings. Rajasthan will look to come out all guns blazing as it will definitely be a must win game for them. If they lose another match at this point, it might dent their morale and a playoffs berth could be a bridge too far to cross.
Despite having arguably the best team in the tournament, RR has failed quite miserably. Even in their previous clash against the Kolkata Knight Riders, they were left searching for answers as they managed to score a below par 139 in their allotted 20 overs despite losing just 3 wickets. KKR chased down the target with moderate courtesy exceptional batting by the opening pair of Chris Lynn and Sunil Narine.
Predicted XI’s
Rajasthan Royals
Ajinkya Rahane, Jos Buttler, Steve Smith, Rahul Tripathi, Ben Stokes, Prashant Chopra, Jofra Archer, Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Sudeshan Midhun, Dhawal Kulkarni
Chennai Super Kings
Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni, Ambati Raydu, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir
Head to head:
Matches Played- 21, Chennai Super Kings- 13, Rajasthan Royals- 8
Pitch Condition
The surface at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur is always a sporting wicket which is a batting paradise but also has something on offer for the bowlers if they can pitch the ball consistently in the same area. In the past, we have seen some big scores in the stadium and it might well turn out to be another high scoring match tomorrow.
He skipper winning the toss will definitely look to chase as the dew will come into factor which might affect the bowlers towards the later stages of the match. In all expectations, it will be a sporting wicket in Jaipur for the 25th match of the tournament.
Weather Report:
It is expected to be a hot day in Jaipur tomorrow but the players will be relieved with the fact that the match will be played from 8 pm. Temperature is expected to come down considerably during the night time. It should hover around 30-27 degrees. No rain is expected as of now. It should be a pleasing day for cricket tomorrow and we should expect a full 20 overs game.
Match Prediction
Given the form Chennai Super Kings has been in the tournament so far, there is certainly no doubt about the fact that they will start as outright favourites for tomorrow’s clash. They have a pretty balanced team and with MS Dhoni’s calmness in their squad, Chennai looks a strong contender to defend their IPL title. Hence there is no doubt that my prediction will go in favour of Chennai Super Kings.