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CSK in for shuffle after RCB disappointment, can Riyan Parag avoid hat-trick of losses as captain? RR vs CSK likely XIs
Both Rajasthan and Chennai have looked off-colour to start the IPL season, with RR losing both their first two games, while Chennai were hammered against RCB
The second match of double-header day at the end of the week for the IPL will see two historic franchises with close ties to each other — for better and worse — duke it out in Guwahati. Both Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings have looked off-colour to start the fresh IPL season, with RR losing both of their first two games, while Chennai were hammered against RCB after a timid batting performance.
Some sort of spark is needed, for RR in particular, as they struggle under the captaincy of Riyan Parag in Sanju Samson’s absence. What is concerning for the Royals is how uncompetitive their two losses were. First conceding 286 to SRH, then having their target chased down in less than 18 overs against KKR. The Royals just haven’t shown up yet, despite the talent they possess with the bat, and a light bowling attack has been targeted by opposition batters so far.
On the other end, CSK’s batting is what has looked shaky, as they nearly made a mess of a 150-odd chase against MI before losing to RCB essentially inside two overs of their chase. Chennai travel away from their home for the first time, and won’t have much time to reflect and recover before their game in Assam. This might be a good thing for CSK, who have always been a do-first-talk-later kind of team.
In terms of the actionable changes these two teams will be looking at, it will likely have to do with RR’s bowling plans and CSK’s batting. CSK’s middle-order has looked uncharacteristically weak, with Deepak Hooda and Sam Curran simply not cutting it in those roles at the moment. With Shivam Dube not quite finding his range just yet either, it might be time to ring in a change or two. Their issue is that there isn’t too much quality in depth either: their best batter on the bench is Devon Conway, but he is an opener through and through. Bringing him in might mean Rahul Tripathi slips all the way down to four to accommodate, but this keeps the batting top-heavy. Some big questions for this CSK team.
For RR, Jofra Archer’s form will be a major major concern. The English pacer was bought as their premier seam bowler, but with his injury history and decreasing pace, that was always a risk, and one that hasn’t paid off just yet. Tushar Deshpande and Sandeep Sharma form a pace unit alongside him that doesn’t inspire too much confidence either. It might be time to bring in South African teenager Kwena Mapheka some time soon, just to see if the exciting left-hander has something extra to offer.
When it comes down to it, it will be about execution from both these teams, and for the high-end talent in terms of players and experience to shine through and make up for the gaps that have presented themselves so far.
RR likely XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
CSK likely XI: Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesa Pathirana
