April 26, 2023
With Indian Premier League at it’s half way mark, and the playoffs spots starting to take shape this encounter is crucial for both the Rajasthan Royals as well as the Chennai Super Kings. Both teams in really good form and with proven match winners in both squads this has all the ingredients to be an extremely mouth watering clash.
Rajasthan Royals started this competition in sublime fashion, winning 4 games out of 5 but with 2 consecutive losses they will want to bounce back as soon as possible. Playing at home they will want to win their first home game for the season and get their season back on track.
Proving to be one of the the most lethal batting lineups in the tournament, constantly near the 200 run mark, the Chennai Super Kings are in destructive form winning the last 3 games and find themselves at the top of the table. With form and momentum on their side they will want to make it 4 out of 4 wins in the competition.
Faltering after a brilliant start to the competition, the Rajasthan Royals have lost 2 games in a row which they would have thought they would quite easily win. The loss wouldn’t be a big concern for them, but the manner of the defeats will definitely be. The batting in both innings have been below par and will want to address that issue as soon as possible.
Opting to bowl first, Rajasthan Royals got off to a dream start getting Virat Kohli out on the first ball. With a second wicket within the 3rd over everything seemed well for them. But poor bowling in the middle overs cost them a lot of runs, but a good comeback at the death meant that they had to chase 190 instead of the 220+ it was initially looking for. Yuzvendra Chahal was brilliant, giving away just 28 runs in his 4 overs and picking a wicket.
The chase got off to a bad start losing in form Jos Buttler for a duck. As the innings progressed the batting got tougher but it still looked like the Royals would comfortably chase it given their exploits. Falling short of 8 runs in the end was quite disappointing but they would take a lot of positives from this game. Devdutt Padikal was the top scorer with 52 off 34 balls.
Key Players: Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
After a disastrous tournament last season, very few people would have thought that Chennai Super Kings will be at the stage where they are at the moment. 5 wins in 7 games, and 3 consecutive wins in a row the Chennai Super Kings currently are the most in form team at the Indian Premier League. If the last game is any indication, the runs are just going to keep on flowing.
Put into bat first, Chennai Super Kings got off to a fantastic start. But nobody would have seen the absolute blitz coming from Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube. Scoring 235 runs for the loss of 4 wickets was an exceptional performance. Ajinkya Rahane scored 71 runs in 29 balls whilst Dewon Convey and Shivam Dube chipped in with crucial half centuries.
With such a huge total on the board the bowlers had a relatively easy task. The new ball bowlers were fantastic as they did not let the Kolkata Knight Riders get off to a flyer. Picking up wickets at regular intervals didn’t let KKR get closer to the target. Winning the game by 49 runs, was a huge win for Chennai Super Kings. Matheesha Pathirana was brilliant at the death once again, picking up 1 wicket and giving away just 27 runs.
Key Players: Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, Matheesha Pathirana
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Matheesha Pathirana, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana
The weather seems perfect for a game of cricket, as there are no signs of rain whatsoever. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be in the 35°C – 24°C range.
The Sawai Mansingh Stadium is located in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The stadium has a capacity of around 30000. The pitch tends to get slower, as the match progresses and unlike the other grounds in India, batting first might be a good option here.
The team which has won the toss would want to bat first. Making use of a fresh pitch, they would want to pile on the runs as both teams possess one of the best spinners in the tournament.
Rajasthan Royals seem to have stumbled a bit and with Riyan Parag not firing, the middle order seems like the weakest spot which other teams have exploited. Chennai Super Kings come into the game all guns blazing, however, with their batting being in such great form their bowlers are yet to face the pressure of defending a modest total.
We predict that Chennai Super Kings will beat Rajasthan Royals.
The upcoming IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings is expected to be a thrilling encounter with both teams in good form. While Rajasthan Royals will aim to bounce back after two consecutive losses, Chennai Super Kings will look to continue their winning momentum. Both teams boast of a strong batting lineup, and the game is expected to be a high-scoring affair. Fans can follow the action on IPL betting sites and predict the winner.
