Rajasthan Royals will take on Chennai Super Kings in their opening game of IPL 2020 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah and it will be an intense clash between MS Dhoni and Steve Smith.
Rajasthan Royals will be playing their first game of IPL 2020 when they take on Chennai Super Kings at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings started their IPL 2020 campaign on a positive note when they defeated four-time champions Mumbai Indians in Abu Dhabi. Chennai Super Kings are favorites heading into the contest while Rajasthan Royals will be missing some of their key players in the contest. Both teams have played each other 21 times, with Chennai Super Kings holding a 14-7 head-to-head advantage.
MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings have a settled team and they will be expected to make no changes to the side that defeated Mumbai Indians. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals will be missing Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. Buttler will have to undergo the mandatory quarantine period as he came with his family while Ben Stokes is attending to his sick father in Christchurch. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals were involved in the first final in the Indian Premier League, with Rajasthan Royals upsetting the odds with a famous win for their first and so far only title. Chennai Super Kings have won three titles in 2010, 2011 and 2018.
Weather conditions
The weather in Sharjah will be hot with a high of 39 degrees. Things will not get easier in the night as the temperature will be 28 degrees with plenty of dew on offer.
Pitch report
This will be the first game that will be played in Sharjah in IPL 2020. In the past, it has been a flat wicket where batsmen have enjoyed themselves. However, spin will be the key on this wicket as it has tended to be two-paced.
High and low scores
Sharjah is one of the high-scoring grounds in the UAE, with the highest total been 215/6 by Afghanistan against Zimbabwe in 2013. Generally, totals in excess of 170 and 180 are far more common here than compared to Dubai or Abu Dhabi.
Probable Playing XIs
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Robin Uthappa, Steve Smith (c), David Miller, Sanju Samson (wk), Tom Curran, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Ankit Rajpoot/Varun Aaron/Kartik Tyagi
Chennai Super Kings: Murali Vijay, Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Lungi Ngidi
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