Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings
ACA Stadium, Guwahati at 7.30 pm
What to expect
Guwahati hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the home team, Rajasthan Royals, who have won just one and lost three of the five games played here. Both teams are currently struggling to settle their batting orders, meaning they will be back to the drawing board once again.
Conditions might not be ideal for batting, with the ball expected to turn and hold a bit, as seen in the previous match. Run-scoring could continue to be difficult. Additionally, Chennai Super Kings, after a long flight to the far east, will be on the field with just a single day’s gap, which could lead to fatigue.
Key battle
Several intriguing matchups will unfold on the pitch. R Ashwin has been effective in both restraining and dismissing Sanju Samson, making this battle a potentially decisive one. Meanwhile, Nitish Rana has historically fared well against the offie.
If Rahul Tripathi is given another chance, expect nothing less than a barrage of short-pitched deliveries from the likes of Jofra Archer.
RR Likely XI
Riyan Parag will continue as captain, with Samson either retaining his spot or making way for the impact substitute. Despite scoring 234 against SRH, RR’s batting remains a concern. Given the dominance of spinners in the last game here, RR might consider utilising someone like Kumar Kartikeya.
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag (c), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
Impact sub: Kumar Kartikeya
CSK Likely XI
Rahul Tripathi has struggled to justify his role as an opener, while Devon Conway continues to warm the bench. A reshuffle in the batting order could be on the cards for the Super Kings.
Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi/Anshul Kamboj, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran/Devon Conway, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact sub: Matheesha Pathirana
Pitch
The highest total at this venue in five IPL games is 199, scored by RR against DC. However, conditions appear vastly different from last year. The pitch is expected to remain on the slower side, assisting spinners as it did for KKR in the previous match. CSK might find these conditions somewhat familiar.
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