MS Dhoni guided CSK to a 6-wicket win in the previous game against PBKS, in what was his 200th outing for the three-time champions.
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MS Dhoni’s Chennai Super Kings (CSK) opened their account for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign on Friday, after inflicting a humbling defeat on the Punjab Kings (PBKS). CSK restricted PBKS to just 106 in their 20 overs, and won the game with six wickets in hand and 4.2 overs to spare. A solid partnership between Faf du Plessis and Moeen Ali saw the Super Kings comfortably chase down the total. They will go up against the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Monday. The Royals also secured their first victory of the season last time out against the Delhi Capitals (DC). After restricting the Capitals to 147, the game went down to the wire as Sanju Samson’s men came out on top with only two balls to spare. Impressive batting displays by David Miller and Chris Morris saw the Royals cruise home. CSK currently sit third in the IPL table while RR are at the fifth spot.
Here are the predicted starting lineups for both sides.
Robin Uthappa: After another disappointing batting performance from youngster Ruturaj Gaikwad, his position in the starting XI is under peril and the experienced Robin Uthappa may be the one Dhoni turns to.
Faf du Plessis: The South African opener remained unbeaten at the crease until the end in CSK’s last game, and his 36 off 33 balls helped see MS Dhoni’s men home with a victory.
Moeen Ali: The English all-rounder’s 46 off 31 deliveries was as explosive as they come, and Dhoni will be banking on him to play those explosive innings at the top of the order.
Suresh Raina: Mr IPL got off to a brilliant start in CSK’s first game of the season, but did not perform against PBKS. He will be eager to get among the runs again against the Royals.
Ambati Rayudu: Rayudu’s season has not been one of great impact as of yet but being an experienced IPL player, he will look to deliver a match-winning performance soon.
MS Dhoni (Captain, WK): Skipper MS Dhoni did not have the opportunity to put his batting gloves on against PBKS but his on-field captaincy reaped the rewards as PBKS could not even go beyond the 110-run mark.
Sam Curran: The Englishman bowled a brilliant spell, conceding only 12 runs in three overs and also picking up a wicket against the Punjab Kings.
Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja did not have a chance to display his skills with the bat, but was impressive on the field yet again. He took the catches of Chris Gayle and Shahrukh Khan, further running out the dangerous KL Rahul.
Dwayne Bravo: The West Indian all-rounder picked one wicket off his two overs, conceding only 10 runs in the process.
Deepak Chahar: Chahar was the pick of the bowlers for CSK against PBKS. He took four wickets in as many overs, conceded only 13 runs, and also bowled a maiden over.
Shardul Thakur: Despite going for 35 runs against PBKS, Shardul is a trusted member of the CSK family and will look to turn his fortunes around against the Royals.
Jos Buttler: The English batsman has not had a season to remember so far but given his quality, it can be confidently said that an explosive Buttler innings is not too far away.
Manan Vohra: Vohra has also been unimpressive so far in the IPL. His starting position will start to come into debate should the opener not improve his form in the upcoming games.
Sanju Samson (Captain, WK): Samson’s magnificent century in RR’s opening game has pretty much overshadowed every other batting performance in the IPL so far. The RR wicket-keeper will be looking to repeat that feat soon.
Shivam Dube: Dube will look to improve his current run of form. On his day, he can be the most destructive batsman in the RR lineup.
David Miller: The South African thrust his side to victory from what seemed like a colossal batting collapse with his 62 off 43 balls against the Capitals.
Riyan Parag: Parag did a decent job in the field against DC, running out the dangerous Rishabh Pant. However, he will need to pick wickets or score runs on a regular basis to keep his spot.
Rahul Tewatia: The all-rounder played a decent cameo of 19 runs off 17 deliveries against DC and will be eager to score more runs.
Chris Morris: Morris stole the show against DC with his match-winning innings of 36 off 18 deliveries. He also picked up a wicket.
Jaydev Unadkat: The veteran bowler picked three pickets for just 15 runs from his four overs, and also played a short cameo of 11 runs off 7 balls.
Mustafizur Rahman: Fizz picked up two crucial wickets for 29 runs from his four overs in the match against DC, and will be looking to do more of the same against CSK.
Chetan Sakariya: The young pacer might not have gotten any wickets against DC, but his impressive performance in RR’s first game will deservedly earn him a spot in the starting lineup.
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