What

The MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings will clash with the Shane Watson-led Rajasthan Royals in Match 47 of the Pepsi IPL 2015.

Both teams have fourteen points each and have parked themselves among the top two teams for most part of the season. However, both teams were defeated in their respective previous matches and have lost some of the momentum. While MI got the better of CSK, RR put up a good fight in their chase of 202 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but still finished seven runs short.

Both teams – RR in particular - will be feeling the pressure given how the Pepsi IPL 2015 table has taken shape. RR will have only one match left after this match, and hence will be keen to seal the playoff berth here on their own terms, rather than leave it to their last match – which will mean additional pressure.

When

10 May 2015, 8p.m. IST

Where

MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

The Protagonists

CSK will be keen to rectify their mistakes in the previous match. Each one of Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum and Suresh Raina got starts, but none of them converted that to a big score. Though there is plenty of firepower lower down the order, it is important that one of the top three plays the big innings. On the bowling front, CSK certainly have the edge, given their battery of spinners; on a spinner-friendly track at the Chepauk, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Pawan Negi and the occasional over from Suresh Raina is certain to make run-scoring a difficult proposition for the opposition batsmen.

Apart from Ajinkya Rahane (who has hit a purple patch) and Shane Watson (who has had plenty of success against CSK), the Rajasthan Royals will expect a significant contribution from Steve Smith, for the Australian has the reputation of being a very good player against spin bowling.

Contests to look-forward to

The battle between RR’s Ajinkya Rahane against R Ashwin promises to be interesting. The CSK off-spinner has had a moderate amount of success against the RR opener, having dismissed him thrice.

The battle between CSK’s Brendon McCullum and RR’s Tim Southee too promises to be exciting. Both players know a lot about each other, given they play for the New Zealand national team. Southee said he was looking forward to the challenge and hoped to keep his national captain quiet. He said, “He is playing really well at the moment, playing some incredible shots and seems to be in a bit of a hurry. So, it will be nice to get one up on him.”

Previous Meetings

The Chennai Super Kings have a 10-6 win-loss record from sixteen matches against the Rajasthan Royals. In contests between the two teams in Chennai, the home side CSK has a 4-1 win-loss record against RR.

When these two teams met in Ahmedabad earlier this season, the Rajasthan Royals handed CSK their first defeat of the season. RR struck early in that contest, reducing CSK to 65 for 4 before the half-way mark and restricted them to 156 for 4. The run chase turned out to be a simple affair after the RR openers Ajinkya Rahane and Shane Watson posted half-centuries, and steered the chase with their 144-run partnership. RR won by 8 wickets, with ten balls remaining to be bowled in the innings.

Trivia

6 of Chennai Super Kings’ 7 wins this season have been while batting first. The Rajasthan Royals meanwhile seem to chase better; four of their six wins this season have been in run chases.

The overall performance of the CSK spinners in Pepsi IPL 2015 matches in Chennai: 41 overs, 236 runs, 11 wickets, 5.76 economy rate.

The RR captain Shane Watson has scored more runs against the Chennai Super Kings than against any other opponent; he has scored 452 runs in 11 innings at a strike-rate of 159.72.

What Next

Chennai Super Kings will head to Raipur for their away fixture against Delhi Daredevils, scheduled for 12 May 2015. The Rajasthan Royals meanwhile will play their final league stage fixture on 16 May when they take on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.