FANTASY
Follow UsNOTE: All stats here are updated until 16 April 2021
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 12 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. CSK got off the mark in their previous match against Punjab Kings (PBKS) with a clinical six-wicket victory, while the Royals bounced back well against Delhi Capitals (DC) after suffering a narrow four-run loss in their first game against PBKS.
While the Men in Yellow lead the overall head-to-head, having won 14 of the 23 encounters, RR have a slender edge when it comes to the last five matches, winning three of them, including both games last season in the UAE.
IPL HEAD-TO-HEAD
Overall: Matches – 26 | RCB – 12 Wins | KKR – 14 Wins
Last 5 Matches: RCB – 3 Win | KKR – 2 Wins
Suggested Teams
While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. Based on algorithms, we have come up with one team.
Ground Details
The Wankhede Stadium has witnessed four matches in IPL 2021 so far. Three of those matches have been won by the team chasing, however, RR missed out on chasing down 222 by just four runs in the other game.
In IPL 2021, a wicket has fallen at the Wankhede Stadium every 26.5 runs and 18.5 deliveries apart at an economy rate of 8.6.
When we consider T20 cricket since 2019 at the six venues that are hosting matches during this tournament, from a bowling perspective, Mumbai as a venue has not been particularly good. The bowlers have picked up a wicket every 29.7 runs, 21 deliveries apart and have conceded at 8.5 an over.
Team Combination
In the four matches at the Wankhede this season so far, it is the pacers who have dominated, having picked up 76% of the wickets. They have done so at an average of 22.6 and strike-rate of 16.3, which are significantly better than the spinners, for whom the corresponding numbers are 90.8 and 60. Hence, it could be a good idea to stock your team with pacers, with maybe one or two quality spinners.
There could be a few interesting match-ups too
Suresh Raina has already scored a fifty from his two innings this season and it will be interesting to see how he fares against IPL’s most expensive player Chris Morris. The South Africa all-rounder has dismissed the southpaw four times in eight innings and moreover, has conceded at just run-a-ball. We could have an intriguing contest on our hands.
Deepak Chahar caused some problems in the previous game against PBKS, finishing with his career-best IPL figures. He would look to continue his good form in this game as well and especially against RR captain Sanju Samson, against whom he has a decent record. The CSK pacer has got the better of Samson thrice in six innings but concedes runs at a strike-rate close to 140.
Captain Suggestion
Sam Curran could be an ideal choice for the captain, given that the match is being played in Mumbai. He has scored just 39 runs and managed just a solitary wicket in the two matches so far and he is due a big performance in this game. With some swing on offer with the new ball, Curran could be a handy option to bowl with Chahar and could make some early inroads. Curran was CSK’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2020 with 13 scalps and also scored 186 runs at a strike-rate close to 132.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Curran could score 14-21 runs and pick up 0-1 wickets in this match.
X-Factors
Chris Morris played a huge part in getting RR their first points this season with a bludgeoning innings against DC down the order. The fact that he also bowls in the death quite often could fetch him a few wickets as well. As he has proved on many occasions in T20s, he is no mug with the bat either. He has already picked up three wickets in two matches this season and there could be more coming in the upcoming games.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Morris could score 8-12 runs and pick up 0-1 wickets in this match.
It is impossible to leave someone like Sanju Samson out of your team, especially considering he scored 119 in the first game of the season. With the added responsibility as captain, Samson has so far taken the responsibility head-on and does not seem to have any adverse effect on his batting. The fact that he could affect a few dismissals behind the wickets could be an added bonus.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Samson could score 21-32 runs in this match.
Deepak Chahar bowled all his four overs in one go against PBKS in the previous match and finished with figures of 4 for 13. The fact that there is a hint of swing on offer early on, MS Dhoni could be tempted to do the same once again depending on the conditions.
Our Criclytics player projector predicts Chahar could pick up 1-2 wickets in this match.
