IPL 2019: Match 25; RR vs CSK Predicted Playing XI, Preview & Key Players

With an aim to make it a double over RR this season, the buoyant Chennai Super Kings visit Sawai Mansingh Stadium to play Rajasthan Royals on Thursday in a key IPL fixture.

Head to Head Overall Stats: Both the teams have gone head to head in 21 IPL matches with Chennai leading the scoreline at 13-8.

Head to Head at Sawai Mansingh Stadium: Dhoni's men have visited the Royals den on six occasions and have managed to seal the honors on two occasions.

Previous IPL 2019 Faceoff: In their earlier clash on March 31, Chennai Super Kings registered an eight-run victory over the Rajasthan Royals at Chepauk. After being put in to bat, MS Dhoni guided CSK towards a challenging total of 175/5 in 20 overs. In reply, Royals' top order collapse declined the initial advantage and they were eventually restricted for 167/8.

Chennai Super Kings

Chennai Super Kings (Source: iplt20/BCCI)

Chennai Super Kings are currently on a roll and are comfortably leading the IPL 2019 points table with 10 points. The yellow army is beaming with confidence and aim to continue their good form in the pink city.

Batting

Key Players - Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis & MS Dhoni

Skipper MS Dhoni played a captains knock to set the platform for the win against RR last time around and he will be eager to repeat it against the same opponents. Also, the return of Faf du Plessis is certainly paying dividends. Meanwhile, Shane Watson and Suresh Raina are yet to play a big knock and the skipper will back them to showcase their abilities against Rajasthan.

Bowling

Key Players - Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar & Harbhajan Singh

Imran Tahir, Harbhajan Singh, and Deepak Chahar are CSK's key strikers with the ball, and in the absence of injured Dwayne Bravo, the senior ones will have to take additional responsibility against the Royals. Chahar is getting better with each game and is expected to provide few early breakthroughs during the powerplay overs.

Expected Playing XI

MS Dhoni (C & W), Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Scott Kuggeleijn, Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, and Imran Tahir.

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals (Source - ipl20.com)

Rajasthan Royals have managed just one win out of their five league games so far. Though the pink boys will take some confidence from their home head to head records against the visitors, it is going to be a tough game for Royals.

Batting

Key Players - Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson & Steve Smith

Steve Smith finally joined the party and played a 59-ball 73 against KKR, and the Aussie will be backed to replicate it against the CSK. Jos Buttler has been Royals leading run-getter with 176 runs. Samson is another key player for RR. Though skipper Rahane is going through a poor run and managed just 27 runs in his last three outings, he will be expected to make a strong comeback in this encounter.

Bowling

Key Players - Jofra Archer & Shreyas Gopal

Jofra Archer was their star pick in the reverse fixture against CSK with figures of 2/17 and he will be back to lay a similar impact on Thursday. Shreyas Gopal is currently among seasons top wicket-takers with eight wickets at an economy of 6.37.

Expected Playing XI

Ajinkya Rahane (C), Jos Buttler (W), Steven Smith, Rahul Tripathi, Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni, and Varun Aaron.

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