Rajasthan Royals will be up agains Chennai Super Kings in the second reverse fixture of the season in what is match number 37 of IPL 2023. The match will be played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur between two teams that find themselves inside the top-four mark. While CSK are currently at the top of the table with 5 wins from 7 matches that has taken them to 10 points with a net run rate of +0.662, RR are at the third position with 4 wins from 7 games.

The last time these two teams had met, it was Rajasthan who had held their nerve to stage a win by 3 runs. Sandeep Sharma had bowled a brilliant final ball to deny the Master Finisher MS Dhoni a last-ball six with CSK needing 5 to win from the final ball.

Spinners had done the trick there for Rajasthan with Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal picking 2 for 25 and 2 for 27 respectively after RR had posted 175/8 riding on a half-century from Jos Buttler and contributions from Devdutt Padikkal (38 off 26), Ashwin (30 off 20) and Shimron Hetmyer (30 off 18).

For Chennai too, left-arm spin of Ravindra Jadeja was effective as he finished with figures of 2 for 21 before coming back to score an unbeatean 25 off 15 along with Dhoni’s 32 off 17. This after Devon Conway had already laid a foundation with 50 off 38 balls with Ajinkya Rahane’s 31 off 19. However, even Jadeja and Dhoni found themselves a little too much to do in the end with their middle order failing to come to the party that day.

Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali and Ambati Rayudu faced a cumulative of 21 balls to add 16 runs. Ruturaj Gaikwad had also scored at less than run a ball that evening departing for 10-ball 8. 

It could well be a battle of spin once again this evening but it won’t be all about that with the likes of Trent Boult, Matheesha Pathirana among other pacers also set to be on display.

Should be a riveting contest this.

Possible Starting XIs:

RR:  Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (captain/wicketkeeper), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Sandeep Sharma Adam Zampa, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (captain/wicketkeeper), Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Matheesha Pathirana, Akash Singh