A promising unit of the Rajasthan Royals will look to get their 2020 IPL campaign off to a winning start when they take on the Chennai Super Kings at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. CSK made early breakthroughs in the tournament with a five-wicket victory over defending champions the Mumbai Indians, but on Tuesday they will face a tough challenge in the form of the Royals. They finished second from the bottom last season, but things look different for them this time, in a positive way of course, with heavyweights like Steve Smith, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler in their ranks.
The Royals seem to have the perfect combination of youth and experience with veterans Robin Uthappa, Jaydev Unadkat and youngsters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag. There has been a lot of talk about the likes of Jaiswal and Parag on the Indian National Circuit and in the company of David Miller and all-rounder Tom Curran, the Royals are a force to be reckoned with. It would take all that force to stop the three-time winner CSK, who sparked an early warning to all seven IPL opponents by beating an IPL favorite the other night.
READ | IPL 2020, Rajasthan Royals predicted XI: Steve Smith set to make a comeback
They may not have too many youngsters, but why even need it when experience pays them the benefits? Piyush Chawla stopped the scoring and Faf du Plessis was like a ninja on the edge.
Ambati Rayudu proved the big mistake the Indian selectors made when they did not include him in their squad for the 2019 World Cup. Rest assured, CSK will give the Royals an early test, which could only augur well for Smith and his team.
IPL 2020 Live Stream, RR vs CSK: When and Where to Watch
Team news
Royals of Rajasthan: Jos Buttler has confirmed his unavailability for the Royals’ opening game, which could mean Robin Uthappa could open the innings with Yashasvi Jaiswal, likely followed by Samson, Smith, Miller and Curran in the middle order. The Royals would like to have Parag and Shreyas Gopal handle spin, while 19-year-old Kartik Tyagi, Jofra Archer and Jaydev Unadkat are expected to handle the rhythm attack.
Probable XI: 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Robin Uthappa, 3 Sanju Samson (week), 4 Steve Smith (C), 5 David Miller, 6 Tom Curran, 7 Riyan Parag, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Jofra Archer, 10 Kartik Tyagi, 11 Jaydev Unadkat
Super Kings of Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad is said to have tested negative on both Covid-19 tests he had undergone. They will likely get a glimpse of it, perhaps in place of Murali Vijay, who could be dropped to accommodate Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis on top. With Dwayne Bravo still to recover from his injury, Sam Curran will face his brother Tom on the opposite field.
Likely XI: 1 Shane Watson, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Ruturaj Gaikwad, 4 Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kedar Jadhav, 6 MS Dhoni, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 Sam Curran, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Piyush Chawla, 11 Lungi Ngidi
Statistics and trivia
– In the last five games between the two teams, CSK has beaten RR 4-1.
– Watson needs 43 runs to complete 1000 IPL runs for CSK, while Rayudu is 45 away from the feat.
– Five times Jadeja has fired Smith in IPL, the most by any bowler.
.
