Why is Rachin Ravindra not playing IPL 2024 Match 39 between CSK vs LSG?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, are all set to lock horns with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at their backyard, the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday, April 23. LSG skipper KL Rahul won the toss and opted to field first in the match no. 39 of the Indian Premier League 2024.

The hosting side, coming off an eight-wicket loss against the same opposition in Lucknow, has made a change in their playing XI. The defending champions have decided to rest their star New Zealand all-rounder Rachin Ravindra and brought back Daryl Mitchell into the lineup who was benched during the previous clash. With this change, Gaikwad is poised to return to the top of the order alongside Ajinkya Rahane after a couple of matches at No. 3. Additionally, Ravindra's inconsistent run of form following a powerful start might be the reason behind his exclusion from the XI.

"Nothing different, but the coin toss is something I need to work on. There will be some dew later on, but you never know how the wicket will surprise you. You just need to go out there and express yourself, if the ball is in your area they just attack it. Hoping to set the foundation upfront. One change for us - Daryl (Mitchell) comes in for Rachin (Ravindra)," said CSK skipper Gaikwad at the toss.

Rahul lauds Chepauk crowd at the toss

Meanwhile, Rahul, the leading run-scorer in LSG versus CSK games, has stated that they will field the same XI that featured in their previous encounter. Despite being aware of the Chepauk crowd, which will undoubtedly cheer for the home team, the 32-year-old expressed confidence that they can make an impact on the field to continue their winning streak.

"We'll bowl first. There is a bit of dew, we have trained here, and there is a bit of dew that will play an impact. Wicket is a bit slow and hopefully, we can put their batters under pressure. We played well in all three facets, but we have left the result back in Lucknow. We know have challenging Chennai is, everyone will be cheering for them. Same team for us," said Rahul. 

Chennai Super Kings Playing XI: Ajinkya Rahane, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman, Matheesha Pathirana.

Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Sameer Rizvi, Shardul Thakur, Shaik Rasheed, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner

Lucknow Super Giants Playing XI: Quinton de Kock, KL Rahul (wk/c), Marcus Stoinis, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Krunal Pandya, Matt Henry, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohsin Khan, Yash Thakur

Lucknow Super Giants Impact Subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Arshin Kulkarni, Krishnappa Gowtham, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Manimaran Siddharth