With 16 points in the bag and one last league match to go, the Royals will be keen to officially seal their playoff spot and have an take the opportunity to finish in the Top 2.

“If you want to win it, you gotta take it. You gotta show up and you gotta do the work.”

They said it before the match, and they delivered on the field. At the centre of our performance against LSG was an exhibition of fine teamwork, high intensity and infectious energy that eventually culminated into a clinical 24-run victory. Whether it was a collective contribution from the batting order, the all-round wicket-taking show from our bowlers, or simply the electricity and commitment displayed by our fielders to hold onto every catch and save every run. This team of believers and doers is packed with solid intent, a winning mentality and the absolute refusal to give up - qualities that they’ve exhibited from time to time throughout the season and continue to do so. 

As we gear up for our 14th and final league game of the season, the mantra for Sanju Samson & co. will remain fairly simple - get another ‘W’ under their belt and enter the playoffs with the winning momentum on their side.

Match Details

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings - 20 May 2022

Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai

7:30 PM IST

This will be our first encounter with CSK in IPL 2022. The last time both sides met, CSK won the first of the two matches, and the Royals came back with a comprehensive 7-wicket win in the second. Overall, Chennai lead the head-to-head equation with 15 wins, while the Royals have won 10 of the 25 IPL matches played. We’ve also won three of our last five matches against them. 

Chennai are yet to register a single victory at Brabourne this season, whereas the Royals have enjoyed considerable success, winning both their matches here. The average first-innings score at this venue is 179, with the spinners climbing up the wickets tally in the second half of the tournament. But it’s the pacers who continue to dominate, having picked 54 wickets in the last eight matches, as compared to the spinners who’ve scalped 40 in as many games.

Player battles to watch

Yuzvendra Chahal vs Ruturaj Gaikwad

The CSK opener has faced Yuzvendra Chahal four times in T20s, succumbing to his leg-spin in three of those innings. He has scored just 38 runs at an average of 12.7. Chahal picked up a solitary wicket in the last game, so he’ll be looking to come back stronger and run through CSK’s batting line-up with his wily variations. Will we see Yuzi Chahal coming on to bowl in the Powerplay? Only time will tell. 

Trent Boult vs MS Dhoni

In nine T20 innings against Trent Boult, MS Dhoni has scored 88 runs at a strike rate of 196, but has also been dismissed by him on three occasions. The pacer has been bowling the bulk of his overs in the first half of the innings. It’ll be interesting to find out if skipper Sanju holds him back for Dhoni, considering this match-up. 

Team News

Jimmy Neesham and Obed McCoy came into the Playing XI for our last game and the move worked well for the Royals. Jimmy chipped in with a useful cameo down the order that guided us to a strong total, while Obed’s double-wicket over tightened our grip towards the end. Shimron Hetmyer is back in contention and should be available for this game, so it’ll be interesting to see what the management’s strategy around their overseas player combination will be. No other official news or injury update has emerged from the camp so far.

Milestone Watch

  • Prasidh Krishna is 5 wickets short of 50 IPL wickets

  • Jos Buttler needs 76 runs to complete 8000 runs in T20s

  • Sanju Samson is 58 runs away from completing 3000 T20 runs for the Royals

Which Royal are you looking forward to watching in action? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter at @rajasthanroyals or with me @arey_yaar