IPL 2021: Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals – Preview, Prediction, Probable Playing XIs and Value Bets
Match Details
Chennai Super Kings v Rajasthan Royals
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Monday, April 19th, 2021
16:00 SA Time
Betting Preview
The 12th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see Rajasthan Royals (RR) go head to head against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Wankhede Stadium. CSK have dominated this rivalry with 14 wins from 23 matches. RR had an edge last year, winning both the matches in IPL 2020. Both the teams were victorious in their last match.
After losing their opener, CSK bounced back in a remarkable fashion against Punjab Kings. They looked like their vintage self as they restricted PBKS to 106-8 and chased it down with ease. Deepak Chahar rediscovered his new ball form which is a great sign for them. He took 4-13 in his brilliant spell with one maiden. Moeen Ali has proven his worth in the two matches so far with his 24-ball-36 and 31-ball-46. Facing the Royals could be a big test for CSK.
Rajasthan Royals come off a thrilling win in their last match. They beat Delhi Capitals after coming back from a precarious situation. Chasing 149 at Wankhede, RR were reduced to 42-5 at one stage. That’s when The ‘Killer Miller’ made his presence felt and brought RR back into the game with an outstanding knock of 62 off 43. Jaydev Unadkat picked up 3-15 in his spell and made a handy contribution with the bat. RR’s biggest signing of IPL 2021, Chris Morris, played a blistering knock of 36 off 18 and took RR over the line.
Injury and Availability News
Chennai Super Kings replaced Josh Hazlewood with Jason Behrendorff who might not be available due to mandatory quarantine requirements. Rajasthan Royals will be without Ben Stokes, who is ruled out of the tournament due to a finger fracture and Jofra Archer hasn’t joined the team yet because of surgery.
Probable Playing XI
Chennai Super Kings
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Dwayne Bravo.
Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler, Manan Vohra, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shivam Dube, David Miller, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya.
Pitch and Conditions
The Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai has traditionally been a great batting wicket. However this year, after producing run-fests in the early few matches, the venue has seen a couple of low scoring matches. The pitch has been good for pace bowlers. The average first innings score so far in IPL 2021 is 165.
Key Players to Watch Out For
Moeen Ali: The English all-rounder has immense talent and has shown time and again why he is such an asset for T20 sides. But given England’s packed middle order and his mishandling from RCB, Moeen had been deprived of playing in his preferred position in the last couple of years. Chennai Super Kings are utilizing his strengths well and Moeen has already justified their trust with outstanding knocks of 36 off 24 and 46 off 31.
Deepak Chahar: The Indian medium-pacer had star rose rapidly due to his outstanding swing bowling in 2018-19. Chahar picked up 22 wickets in IPL 2019 with an average of 21.9. But for a while, he had lost his form and wasn’t able to be as effective. Chahar’s powerplay wickets are extremely valuable for CSK as he displayed in the second match, picking up four wickets for 13 runs.
Riyan Parag: The 19-year old batsman is one of those promising youngsters in India. Parag played his first IPL season in 2018 and did a pretty good job with an average of 32 and strikerate of 127. Parag had an awful overall season last year but did show glimpses of his enormous potential. Parag scored 25 off 11 balls in the first match of this edition, RR will be hoping for more.
Chris Morris: The most expensive player in the history of IPL proved hos worth in the last match. Morris, apart from being one of the best death bowlers in the game, has long levers which he put to great effect against DC in his match-winning knock of 36 off 18 deliveries. His pace and hard lengths could be very vital for RR against CSK.
What Bets To Take
Chennai Super Kings
Faf du Plessis to be CSK’s top batsman at 3.75.
Deepak Chahar to be CSK’s top bowler at 3.50.
Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler to be RR’s top batsman at 3.60.
Chris Morris to be RR’s top bowler at 3.75.
Prediction: Chennai Super Kings to win at 1.76.
Prediction: Delhi Capitals to win at 1.68.