Reported By:
| Edited By: Khyati Gulani |Source: |Updated: Sep 22, 2020, 03:02 PM IST
Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, the two teams who made the finals of the inaugural IPL in 2008, are ready to lock horns at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings are high on confidence after beating Mumbai Indians while Rajasthan Royals will have acclimatized well to the conditions after arriving in the UAE in the third week of August. On paper, it is the battle between the Young Guns and Dad’s Army. Youth power vs Veteran might. Some say T20s are for the young and they will dominate. But, when it comes to the Chennai Super Kings, they dispel every single notion and stereotype.
MS Dhoni’s management and captaincy is considered the best for two reasons. One – utilizing the best available resources to the optimum. Second- pouncing on the weakness of the opposition. It is in Sharjah where MS Dhoni will raise his game plan to another level and target the weaknesses of the Rajasthan Royals.
Rajasthan Royals’ start of the tournament does not look too good. Ben Stokes and Jos Butler will not be involved in this game whereas Steve Smith’s form is rusty, having missed all of the three ODIs against England and had three poor scores of 18, 10 and 3 in the T20I series. Plus, he is also recovering from a serious concussion. But, the lack of availability of Buttler and Stokes is a major concern. In one swift blow, Rajasthan Royals have lost their gun opener and star all-rounder. Both can change matches in a stroke, but their absence is a massive hole in the Rajasthan Royals’ set-up.
In Abu Dhabi, Chennai Super Kings showed their fast bowling worth. Deepak Chahar went for runs but Lungi Ngidi was a case study in resurgence. Bowling back of a lenghth cutters and getting extra bounce, Ngidi stifled Mumbai Indians in the death and he is expected to do so even in Sharjah to Rajasthan Royals.
Robin Uthappa, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Steve Smith (C), Sanju Samson, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Mayank Markande/Rahul Tewatia and Tom Curran
Probable Xi for CSk
Shane Watson, Murali Vijay/Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Kedar Jadhav, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla and Lungi Ngidi
Playing Conditions …
The pitch at Sharjah will assist batting and is better than the tracks at the other two venues. It will give enough assistance to spinners as the game progresses, with the pacers getting some help at the start. UAE’s humid weather will pmake things very uncomfortable for the sides.
My few cents to it…
If MS Dhoni wants to main the winning momentum of Chennai Super Kings, he should bolster the attack with more spin which is their strength. If Imran Tahir comes in, then Chennai Super Kings’ bowling attack is deadlier and will put Rajasthan Royals under pressure. For RR to succeed, they must hope that one of the young guns, preferably Yashasvi Jaiswal makes an impression on debut.
Disclaimer: Khyati Gulani is a former first-class cricketer from Delhi and she is now an accredited BCCI and Cricket Australia coach. She is also a cricket expert and she will be giving her views for DNA India during IPL 2020. Views are personal
