IPL 6: CSK take on Rajasthan Royals in crunch encounter

Date – 22nd April 2013

Time – 8.00 p.m (IST)

Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals have had contrasting games. While Chennai Super Kings pulled off a win against the defending Champions Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals were completely outclassed by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Chennai Super Kings played extremely well against the Kolkata Knight Riders. The bowling was remarkable as they were able to maintain tight line and length and did not provide enough room to the Knight Riders batsman. MS Dhoni marshalled his troops efficiently. He didn’t introduce his spinners till the 10th over off the match despite the nature of the wicket as Bravo was constantly troubling Tiwary and Das with his pace variations. Chennai Super Kings haven’t got the right combination at the top of the order with Vijay struggling for momentum and S Anirudha falling for a duck against the Pune Warriors. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, therefore, promoted Ashwin at the top of the order to open the innings with Mike Hussey against the Knight Riders. Ashwin struck two blistering boundaries through the leg-side before getting dismissed for 11. Vijay failed to continue with the momentum as he attempted an unorthodox shot and, consequently, was trapped in front. Also, Suresh Raina’s lack of form is a worrying factor for the Super Kings. It would be interesting to see the combination if Nannes is fit for the game against the Royals.

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, have been the consistent performers at this season’s IPL. They don’t have quality batsmen, but they have won four out of six games. The only ingredient that can keep them in the competition is the emergence of strong bowling attack. Siddarth Trivedi, Cooper and Chandila have done their job for the Royals. Rahane has been the stand out performer for the Royals as he has anchored the innings skilfully in the last couple of matches. Shane Watson hasn’t been in best of form with the bat, but grabbed two wickets against Royal Challengers, which is a good sign for the Rajasthan Royals. Rahul Dravid has a significant task at hand as Chennai Super Kings have a good track record at home. And they have an unbeaten record at home against Rajasthan Royals.

Pitch and Conditions

The conditions are hot and there is no possibility of dew late in the night. The wicket looks firm and good for batting. But it is expected to get slower as the game progresses. Even 150-plus is chase-able at this wicket.

Players to watch

Suresh Raina – He has been the trump card for the Chennai Super Kings. He hasn’t fired at this season’s IPL. Perhaps he is struggling against spinners. Hopefully he can regain his momentum at home as he is familiar with the wicket. Once he settles down, he could be a dangerous batsman.

Chandila – He has bowled extremely well for Rajasthan Royals. He would relish bowling at this wicket as it aids spinners. Chennai Super Kings have to be watchful against him. If he strikes early, then Chennai Super Kings batting would certainly be tested as their two key protagonists, Raina and Vijay, are out of form.

Prediction

Rajasthan have been the consistent team at this season’s IPL. Chennai Super Kings haven’t had a good season at home. Both sides have quality spinners in their squad. However, Chennai Super Kings have a slight edge over the Rajasthan Royals as they have quality batsmen at the middle order who can steady the ship at any point of time. They have depth in their batting and as a consequence, they would not bothered chasing in excess of 10.00 runs per over as well. But that’s not the case with Rajasthan as they heavily rely on Watson, Hodge and Rahane.