IPL 2018 Preview: CSK to lock horns with RR in battle of traditional rivals

The battle of the comeback teams is set to unfold at the MCA Stadium in Pune when Chennai Super Kings face off against Rajasthan Royals later on Friday night.

CSK would look to reverse their fortunes after going down fighting to KP XI in their last group encounter. CSK put up a spirited challenge in their chase against KP XI, ending up only 4 runs short.

CSK have begun their season well, winning two of their three games played so far. The Super Kings registered two convincing victories on the trot but ended up on the losing side against Kings Eleven Punjab.

Their experienced skipper MS Dhoni has come good with the bat so far with some match-winning innings. Seasoned campaigner Suresh Raina would be raring to get back on the field after suffering an injury.

1000 fans from Chennai are set to descend in Pune to give CSK a much-needed spark after their games were moved out of Chepauk.
Rajasthan has had a mixed bag so far, winning two out of their four games.

Aussie Opener D'Arcy Short has struggled against spin and might get dropped. Hard hitting South African wicket-keeper batsman Heinrich Klaasen may be picked in place of Short. Meanwhile, Jofra Archer may be handed his debut as seamer Ben Laughlin has been struggling for form.

The Royals would look for yet another contribution by Sanju Samson who has struck a purple patch with the bat so far. Meanwhile, Jos Butler and Ben Stokes would look to accelerate the Blues scoring rate towards the end of the innings.

The bowling unit will be spearheaded by medium pace duo of Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Undakat who are masters at changing the pace in their deliveries. The spin duties shall be shared by Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings 

Probable Eleven 

Probable XI: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Rahul Tripathi, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Heinrich Klaasen, Jos Buttler (WK), Krishnappa Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Ben Laughlin/Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Dhawal Kulkarni

Probable XI: Shane Watson, Murali Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Billings, MS Dhoni (C & WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Harbhajan Singh, Mark Wood/David Willey, Karn Sharma/Imran Tahir, Shardul Thakur/Deepak Chahar

Head to Head

CSK Won 11 

Rajasthan Royal Won - 6

Match Venue and Timings

When: April 20, 2018

Timings: 8:00 PM IST

Where: MCA Stadium, Pune