Follow UsRajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in Match 68 of the Indian Premier League 2022 at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday (May 20). One more defeat and the Men in Yellow could finish with the wooden spoon for the first time in the history of the Indian Premier League. And, that’s not how MS Dhoni and his men would want to end this season. Meanwhile, Rajasthan are all but through to the playoffs and have got a superb opportunity to finish second on the points table. And, all they have to do is defeat Chennai who have struggled throughout the tournament.
Ground details and team combination
The Brabourne Stadium has hosted 15 matches this season and the batters here have scored runs at an average of 26.8. The scoring rate of 9.1 is the best amongst all four venues. Meanwhile, a wicket has fallen every 17.6 deliveries. The spinners have great numbers at this venue, having operated at an average of 21.8 and a strike rate of 16. The likes of Yuzvendra Chahal, R Ashwin, Prashant Solanki and Moeen Ali could prove to be handy picks. Shimron Hetmyer, who had flown to Guyana for the birth of his first child and missed the last two games, has rejoined the RR set-up and will be available for this important fixture.
Team suggestion
The team we've picked has a good mix of world-class batters and bowlers. But remember, while you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captain selection
Joe Buttler has had a quiet couple of games and would be eager to return back to his best. The 31-year-old from England smacked 566 runs in the first nine innings, studded with three centuries and as many fifties, and it looked like he would go on to challenge Virat Kohli’s impregnable 2016 numbers. However, the right-handed opener has managed only 61 runs in the last four innings at a strike rate of 105.2. Buttler did get 30 off 16 deliveries against Punjab Kings and the Rajasthan team management wouldn’t be too worried about his middling returns in the last few games, well, at least not yet. He has done well against Chennai in the past, having smashed 265 runs at an average of 66.3.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Buttler to score 12-18 runs in this match.
X-factors
As mentioned earlier, spinners have done well at his venue and it would be a crime to not have Yuzvendra Chahal in your team. The legspinner has scalped 24 wickets in 13 innings at a strike rate of 13 and has gone wicketless only twice. Chahal picked up a five-wicket haul at this very venue earlier this season and you could once again expect him to be amongst wickets.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Chahal to pick up 1-2 wickets in this match.
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway and Mukesh Choudhary have done well for Chennai of late but you could also take a punt with Matheesha Pathirana. Having been labelled as 'an even more extreme example of Lasith Malinga', the 19-year-old struck with his very first ball and returned with figures of 2/24 in his first IPL game. Pathirana too has a similar low release and can bowl those deadly yorkers and slower ones. He is still very new and that “surprise element” won’t go away too easily. Don’t get surprised if Pathirana catches some of the RR batters off-guard and ends up with a couple of wickets.
Our Criclytics Player Projection predicts Pathirana to pick up 0-1 wicket in this match.
Probable XIs
Rajasthan Royals - Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy.
Chennai Super Kings - Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, N Jagadeesan, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Mitchell Santner, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh/Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Matheesha Pathirana, Mukesh Choudhary.