IPL 2018 CSK vs RR: 5 player battles to look forward to between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals

Chennai Super Kings celebrated the return to their Chennai fortress with a superb win against the Kolkata Knight Riders, but today they will play their first game at their adopted home in Pune, when they take on the Rajasthan Royals tonight.

This is a battle between the 4th and 5th, but CSK seem to be in better shape. They have won 2 out of 3, and while they lost the last game, MS Dhoni’s batting form will be a huge positive for them. On the other hand, RR have lost 2 out of 4, and their efforts in the previous game against KKR was nothing short of limp.

Needless to say, a win is crucial for either team, and as ever, the contest is going to be decided by some head to head battles between the players from either side.

Here is a look at 5 key battles that would have a huge bearing on the outcome of tonight’s game.

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#5 Ambati Rayudu vs Dhawal Kulkarni

Ambati Rayudu

The CSK opening batsman might not have scored big in any of the games yet, but he got off to starts (22, 39, 49) in each of the three games, and perhaps today might just be the day that Ambati Rayudu finally delivers. He has a strike rate of 137.50 and is averaging 36.66, getting CSK off to brisk starts in all games.

He will have a good chance of cashing in tonight against RR opening bowler Dhawal Kulkarni, who has still not been at his best yet.

However, it is also important to point out that Kulkarni has been one of the better bowlers in the IPL over the past few seasons. He would definitely need to be at his best tonight so that Rayudu’s opening burst is contained. It promises to be a key opening battle that could well decide the direction of the CSK innings.

#4 Harbhajan Singh vs Ajinkya Rahane

Ajinkya Rahane

At the beginning of the tournament, there were concerns that RR captain Ajinkya Rahane was starting too slowly and his game was not suited to the role of an opener in T20 cricket. However, he has since improved his game and is now striking at 141.30, which is the second highest strike rate among all RR batsmen.

The CSK bowlers, who lack pace and have conceded big totals in their last two games, will have their task cut out against the right-hander at Pune tonight.

The bowler who is probably going to be entrusted with the job of keeping him quiet is Indian veteran Harbhajan Singh, who has opened the bowling for CSK in the last two games. Rahane’s assault on Sunil Narine in the game against KKR will be fresh in everyone’s mind and there is every possibility that he will attempt the same against Harbhajan.

However, the off-spinner is a very clever bowler and has recorded an economy rate of 8.25 in three games, despite bowling the powerplays. The opening duel between the two India players will have a huge bearing on the outcome of the game.

#3 MS Dhoni vs Jos Buttler

MS Dhoni

The former Indian captain got back into superb six-hitting form in the previous game when he belted a 44-ball 79 against Kings XI Punjab, and MS Dhoni’s clinical hitting will have a big say in CSK’s middle-order push tonight at Pune.

However, RR have their very own wicketkeeper-batsman, who can match Dhoni shot for shot, in the form of Englishman Jos Buttler, and the batting of these two should have a big say in the eventual outcome of the game.

They are both capable of brutal power-hitting towards the rear end of the innings, and if they succeed, then their teams will definitely be in with a chance of winning the contest.

However, it needs to be remembered that while Dhoni appears in supreme form, Jos Buttler has still not really got going, and his highest score so far is only 27. That being said, he has recorded a strike rate of almost 139 and perhaps the CSK attack could well be the bowling attack that finally helps him in playing one of his signature knocks.

Dhoni, the CSK captain, will surely have plans in place for him, but the battle between the wicketkeeper-batsmen is going to be a pivotal one in the game.

#2 Imran Tahir vs Sanju Samson

Sanju Samson

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir is one of the world’s best limited overs spinners at the moment, and although he has not been at his absolute best yet, he remains a key member of the CSK bowling attack. He has conceded 8.30 runs per over in 3 games so far and that is poor, considering the fact that he has a career T20 economy rate of 7.16.

He has taken only two wickets, but things can change quickly with quality bowlers like him, and hence, his head-to-head battle with RR’s marauding number 3, Sanju Samson, promises to be a match-defining one. Samson is excellent against the faster bowlers, but has not always been as dominant against spin bowlers.

For instance, during that incredible innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore, he hit only two sixes off spin bowlers out of a total of 10. So, Tahir’s leg-spin could well be the antidote to Samson’s batting, but if the latter manages to get on top of the South African, then there is every chance of RR running away with the game.

#1 Shane Watson vs Ben Stokes

Ben Stokes

The biggest duel in the game is going to be between the old Australian warhorse and the Englishman, who is currently the best all-rounder in the world. Ben Stokes ended as the player of the tournament last year and he remains a key member of the RR set up. Although he has not been at his imperious best yet, the signs are there that he is getting there.

He can turn a game with both the bat and the ball. However, he has not got going yet and the game against CSK could be the perfect platform for him to return to his very best.

On the other hand, 36-year-old Shane Watson has been one of the IPL’s most consistent all-rounders since its inception and continues to be one of the most important players in the team. His hitting as an opening batsman has been exemplary this year, and with a strike rate of 164.28, he can really hurt the opposition during the Powerplays.

On the bowling front, he is CSK’s highest wicket-taker with a total of five wickets and he has recorded an economy rate of 8.30, which isn’t bad at all. Stokes and Watson will both bat and bowl against each other and this is a battle that everyone must be looking forward to.

In addition to that, this battle is almost certainly going to have a big say in the ultimate result of the game.