The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on Sunday. It will be a clash between two of the most consistent teams this season. It is the 61st match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2013 and the second meeting for the teams.
Overview:
CSK defeated RR by five wickets in their meeting earlier this season. Rahul Dravid's men will be looking forward to avenge the defeat before their home crowd.
RR come into this contest at the back of winning three consecutive games, the latest victim being Kings XI Punjab. They are currently placed third on the table with 18 points after winning nine of the 13 matches played so far. Knowing that they just a win away from booking a place for the Play-Offs, they will be keen to win on Sunday. Win against CSK with a big margin will put them on top of the table.
CSK are currently topping the table with 20 points from 10 wins and have confirmed a place for the Play-Off. They beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 77 runs in the previous match after conceding a humiliating defeat to Mumbai Indians in their earlier game. They will be keen to keep the momentum going.
Previous Meetings:
CSK and RR have met 12 times in the past with the former winning on eight occasions and the latter four. CSK defeated RR by five wickets in their meeting earlier this season.
Team News:
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (59 not out), Sanju Samson (47 not out) and Shane Watson (31) helped the team chase KXIP's 145 with an over to spare. These batsmen are in good form, and they will be expected to put up a good show against CSK. Skipper Rahul Dravid and Stuart Binny are also in good form, which is good news for the team.
Kevon Cooper took three wickets, while James Faulkner, Watson and Ajit Chandila took a wicket apiece in the previous match. They also have Sreesanth, Siddharth Trivedi and Binny in the bowling line-up. They will be expected to continue their good performance.
Chennai Super Kings: Suresh Raina scored 99 and Michael Hussey scored 67 in the previous match, helping the team put up 223 on the board. They will be expected to carry their good form into the remaining games. Skipper MS Dhoni is not only in good form but also has been a dependable finisher.
Mohit Sharma took two wickets, while Chris Morris, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo and Ravichandran Ashwin took a wicket apiece in the previous match. They restricted SRH's score to 146.
Prediction:
CSK are no doubt one of the favourite contenders for the title but RR are a well-motivated team and won all the matches played at home this season. Rahul Dravid's men are expected to use their home ground condition well and win on Sunday.
SQUADS:
Rajasthan Royals: Rahul Dravid (C), Ajinkya Rahane, Ajit Chandila, Ankeet Chavan, Ashok Menaria, Brad Hodge, Brad Hogg, Dishant Yagnik, Fidel Edwards, Harmeet Singh, James Faulkner, Kevon Cooper, Kumar Boresha, Kushal Janith Perera, Owais Shah, Pravin Tambe, Rahul Shukla, Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Sachin Baby, Samuel Badree, Sanju Samson, Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Shreevats Goswami, Siddharth Trivedi, Stuart Binny, Vikramjeet Malik
Chennai Super Kings: MS Dhoni (C), Albie Morkel, Srikkanth Anirudha, Ankit Rajpoot, Baba Aparajith, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ben Laughlin, Chris Morris, Dirk Nannes, Dwayne Bravo, Francois du Plessis, Imtiyaz Ahmed, Jason Holder, Michael Hussey, Mohit Sharma, Murali Vijay, Nuwan Kulasekara, R Karthikeyan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ronit More, Shadab Jakati, Subramaniam Badrinath, Suresh Raina, Vijay Shankar, Wriddhiman Saha
Where to Watch Live
The match will begin at 8:00 pm IST and will be telecast live on Sony Set Max channel.
