IPL 2019 – Match 12: Chennai Super Kings vs Rajasthan Royals – RR Predicted Playing XI

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) will fly down south to Chennai to meet CSK in their next encounter. The team has put up great performances in both the games that they played thus far. Yet, they failed to get a win under their belt and have been rather unfortunate so far.

It will be a formidable task for them to beat the Super Kings in Chennai. Though, they have got their players in good form and will look forward to putting up a big fight. RR had only two spinners in their eleven against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They will have to adapt the horses-for-courses formula against CSK and will look to bring in more spinners into their eleven.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Rajasthan Royals (RR):

Openers (Jos Buttler (wk), Ajinkya Rahane)

For the first time since he started opening the innings for RR, Jos Buttler got out for a single-digit score in the last game. He registered 50-plus scores in six out of the eight instances and his lowest score earlier was 39. After the setback against SRH on a good batting track, he will be eager to make a mark in the next game against the CSK.

Ajinkya Rahane played beautifully in the last game. The way he accelerated after getting off to a slow start was great to watch. The skipper took just 49 balls to score 70 runs and hit four fours and three sixes in his innings. This knock will give him a lot of confidence and he will have a very important role to play if the conditions are testing in Chennai.

Middle Order (Sanju Samson, Steve Smith, Rahul Tripathi)

Sanju Samson was brilliant with his knock in the last game. Even though many were sceptical about him batting at three, he made that spot his own by scoring the first century of the season. He never tried to hit the ball hard, didn’t play any cheeky shots. It was all a classic exhibition of proper cricketing shots which was great to watch.

Steve Smith’s role in the side currently seems to undefined. He played a brief cameo in the first game and didn’t bat in the second. He is batting out of his usual position and will hope that he gets to spend more time in the middle in the next game. Rahul Tripathi will continue in the eleven and will bat at either six or seven.

All Rounders (Ben Stokes, Krishnappa Gowtham)

Ben Stokes has failed to impress in the last season and didn’t start this season on a great note either. His batting hasn’t been tested properly as yet as he has faced very little deliveries in the two games thus far. However, with the ball, he leaked a lot of runs which is a huge concern. A dynamic all-rounder like him will have to be at his best to beat a side like CSK.

Krishnappa Gowtham has been doing a decent job with the ball. He often opens the bowling for the side and is quite economical. The bowling all-rounder should also step up with the bat because the Royals do not bat deep. He is pretty much capable of hitting the big shots.

Bowlers (Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Shreyas Gopal, Sudhesan Midhun)

The RR pacers have been bowling well but haven’t really managed to pick up wickets at regular intervals. Jofra Archer is bowling quick and smart. If he could also get a few wickets in his tally, it will be great for the team. Jaydev Unadkat, after conceding a lot of runs against KXIP, did well against SRH. He needs to continue the good work.

Instead of Dhawal Kulkarni, RR might hand over a debut to Sudhesan Midhun keeping the conditions in mind. Midhun is a leg-spinner hailing from Kerala. He is highly talented and is one of the most consistent performers in the domestic circuit as well as in U23 cricket. Midhun is a handy batsman and an agile fielder too. He will share the spin duties with Shreyas Gopal who was excellent in the last game.

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