IPL 2019 – Match 25: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings – CSK Predicted Playing XI

The table-toppers, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will be on the road for the next 10-12 days. The next four games that the team will play are all away from home. It first kicks off with the game against Rajasthan Royals (RR), the team whom they’ve defeated by 8 runs in their previous encounter this year.

After the emphatic win against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) the other night, CSK will be riding high on confidence. However, there are still a few concerns for the management. All the players who are a part of the eleven haven’t been able to perform to their full potential. Hence, this might incite them to make a few changes and test their bench strength before they get to the business end of the tournament.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK):

Openers (Sam Billings, Faf du Plessis)

The Chennai Super Kings might look to rest Shane Watson for the next game. This break might help him reconsolidate and think about his game. In the meanwhile, they can give an opportunity to Sam Billings. The English cricketer was highly impressive when he opened the innings for the Delhi Capitals a few years ago. He enjoys batting at this position and is lightning on the field as well.

The inclusion of Faf du Plessis has added great stability to the CSK batting order. The Proteas skipper is an excellent judge of the conditions and can mould his game accordingly. Ever since he was roped into the eleven, he has brought out back-to-back match-winning performances.

Middle Order (Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c)(wk), Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav)

The Suresh Raina, whom we are seeing this season, is definitely not the cricketer whom we know. The left-hander has always been the backbone of CSK and usually plays responsible cricket. However, this season, he has tried to for aerial shots several times and that has resulted in his undoing. Raina needs to first settle in and then play the big shots rather than trying to do that right from the first ball.

MS Dhoni didn’t have much to do with the bat in the last game. He did well behind the stumps and led his team well. Ambati Rayudu could get another chance in the eleven as he is one of the best Indian players available in the CSK squad. Kedar Jadhav has done well in whatever limited opportunities that he got.

All Rounders (Scott Kuggeleijn, Ravindra Jadeja)

Scott Kuggeleijn was the most expensive CSK bowler in the game against KKR. He doesn’t have much experience of playing in India and it is a learning experience for him. Playing in Jaipur will pose a new set of challenges for the Kiwi cricketer. His batting is yet to be tested in the tournament and he can score some quick runs if required.

Ravindra Jadeja will continue to feature in the eleven. He has been bowling well and is extracting a good amount of turn. The southpaw will enjoy bowling on the Jaipur surface as well which is also quite slow. Jadeja picked up one wicket in the last game and gave away just 17 runs.

Bowlers (Deepak Chahar, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir)

Deepak Chahar has got to be one of the best powerplay bowlers in this tournament. He picked up three wickets right at the start of the innings and also bowled 20 dots in the last game. Unlike earlier, the pacer is now bowling one over at the death as well. If he can pick the wicket of someone like Jos Buttler early on, it would be great for his team.

CSK is likely to continue with Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir. Bhajji has opened the bowling for the team in the last two games and it has given Dhoni the flexibility to hold back Kuggeleijn for the death overs. Imran Tahir has been his go-to bowler and the leg-spinner is doing an exceptional job bowling the tough overs of the match.

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