Rajasthan Royals (RR) have lost eight games while chasing this season, and most of them have come with a very narrow margin. They lost one in a Super Over, one by a single run, one by two runs, one by 10 runs, and one by 11 runs. And in the majority of these games, they lost the plot after establishing early dominance. No matter how close the defeats were, they were still defeats, and hence RR do not have any playoff games to look forward to this year. Even worse, they might go down with a wooden spoon if they lose their last game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK).
CSK, too, have seen their fair share of close calls, but most of the time, their defeats have been more comprehensive. They finished just outside the top four last season, but this year they do not have many memories to cherish. Being the first team to be eliminated from the playoffs race, CSK got plenty of time to rest their feet and look ahead to the next season and beyond. They held camps to test their bench, gave chances to more players on their roster than other teams, and now have only one job left to do: use their next two games to ensure they don’t end the season anchored to the bottom. Their worst record is signing off in second-to-last place, in 2023, and they wouldn’t want to go beyond that.
Team Overview:
Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal gave RR ephemeral hope that they could down the high-flying Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Jaipur the other day. The opening duo were refreshing to witness. But they were once again betrayed by the middle-order batters. Only Dhruv Jurel could cross 20 runs among all the remaining batters. But their troubles aren’t limited to the batting lineup only. As accepted by their coach Rahul Dravid, RR have a bigger bowling problem. They have been the most expensive side in terms of bowling average (44.84) and economy rate (10.02) among all teams in the IPL. All of their bowlers have conceded more than 30 runs for one wicket. Wanindu Hasaranga, who has been one of their better bowlers, has averaged 34.40 this season.
But no one is a better contender to get a sadder end than CSK’s Noor Ahmad. Despite his side being stuck at the bottom for the majority of the tournament, Noor was too good to drown with them. He is currently the second-highest wicket-taker and will likely be overtaken by other players by the time the season ends. However, he was a sure shot for the Purple Cap, had CSK elongated their stay in the tournament. That could not transpire, largely due to a combined disservice from both their batting and bowling lineups. CSK’s batters have not only averaged the lowest among all teams (23.07), but also have scored their runs at an extremely slow pace (134.11). Besides Noor, Ayush Mhatre and Dewald Brevis are among the few bright spots CSK got to witness this season.
Head-to-Head Matches:
Chennai and Rajasthan have faced off in 31 matches so far. Out of these, CSK have won 16 games, while RR follow closely with 15 wins.
Weather and Pitch Report:
The game was originally scheduled to be hosted by CSK at Chepauk, but the revised schedule has Delhi lined up to host this fixture. The most recent game here, which was between GT and DC, saw GT chase down a 200-run target with an over to spare, which tells two things about the venue. One, the surface will be very batting-friendly, with boundary sizes small enough for batters to try and hit the rope multiple times in an over. Second, dew will play a huge role in deciding who gets over the line. Hence, the toss-winning captain will look to chase.
Prediction:
RR have only this game to ensure they place as much distance between them and the bottom position as they can, but CSK’s recent win against KKR might give them the morale boost they need to override any of Rajasthan’s desires.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
MENA: Cricbuzz
