Rajasthan face Chennai in replay of an old battle
JAIPUR: When Rajasthan Royals take on Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League on Saturday, it will be their first meeting at the Sawai Mansingh stadium since May 2013.
The encounter between the two sides here five years ago saw Shane Watson, playing for Rajasthan Royals, get the better of MS Dhoni’s side with a powerpacked performance.
However, events on the field were overshadowed by those off it. It led to the Justice Mukul Mudgal panel, appointed by the Supreme Court to probe spot-fixing allegations, call for the match to be probed. It eventually led to two-year bans on both teams until this season.
Since the 2013 encounter, Rajasthan Royals have lost five out of six games against CSK. A lot has also changed for both sides since that encounter. Watson now plays for CSK and will hold the key as CSK, currently second in the points table, will aim to seal a playoff spot by beating the Ajinkya Rahane-led Royals, who are sixth and will have to do well to qualify for the playoffs.
CSK BATTING THE ENVY
Ambati Rayudu and Shane Watson at the top of the order have been instrumental in Chennai Super Kings’ dominance. Watson, who scored 106 in the first meeting against Royals at Pune, will be again be the key figure as he returns to the venue where he had immense success.
Rayudu’s consistency – he has scored 423 runs at a strike-rate of 151 and average of 42.3 – makes him the X-factor in batting.
The middle order has received tremendous boost due to the exploits of MS Dhoni, who has regained his finishing touch. The skipper’s batting has added an extra dimension to the team, but Dhoni will be hoping his bowlers match their performance in their previous game, when they restricted RCB to 127/9 in the sixwicket win.
Rajasthan Royals’ batting has suffered due to inconsistency. Jos Buttler, who has hit three consecutive half-centuries, will be the key again but Royals will need bigger contributions from Rahane and Ben Stokes. With Sanju Samson struggling a bit after a great start, Royals need others to step up.