The fourth match of the IPL 2020 will see Rajasthan Royals (RR) opening their account against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), who already have one win to their name, as they defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) in the tournament opener.
This match will be played on September 22, at the iconic Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, which used to be a bustling hub of cricket in the 90s. The match will begin at 7.30 PM IST.
IPL 2020, Match 4, RR v CSK – Fantasy Cricket Tips, Possible Playing XIs, Pitch and Weather
Both the teams will be eager to do well and for that, they need to pick the right players who can earn them the victory and points on the table. Therefore, Team COC presents to you the Predicted Playing XIs for the Rajasthan Royals versus Chennai Super Kings match in Sharjah on September 22.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS (RR)
Rajasthan Royals had made it to the playoffs in 2017 and 2018 but finished a disappointing seventh place in the last edition in 2019. Most of it was due to them changing captains in the middle of the tournament and then their foreign players from England and Australia leaving midway to prepare for the World Cup that year.
This time, however, they have gone with Steve Smith as the captain and traded Ajinkya Rahane to Delhi Capitals for three players, a relatively good bargain. They also invested in the likes of Robin Uthappa, David Miller, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Kartik Tyagi, and a few more exciting experienced and young talent.
For their first match against a formidable and experienced CSK team, the young Jaiswal might open the innings with experienced Uthappa. Jaiswal is an amazing talent waiting to showcase his skills on the international stage and IPL 2020 maybe that platform for him.
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However, the RR will miss their aggressive opener-keeper in Jos Buttler, who is still in quarantine as he brought his family along with him.
Uthappa was released by KKR after a poor IPL 2019 but will bring his experience and keeping skills to the team. Batting at the top, he may also dictate the speed of the game. Then the middle order of Sanju Samson, Steve Smith, and the explosive David Miller could take over and make runs in the crunch middle overs when the game is usually set.
Apart from them, Riyan Parag, another young talent may also get to flex his hitting muscles, and bowling acumen, something he showed in IPL 2019. In absence of Ben Stokes, Parag and Miller’s hitting abilities become extremely important for the Royals in the death overs.
Bowling wise, RR is short on the finger-spin options with Shashank Singh being the only proper off-spinner in the squad. Apart from him, Shreyas Gopal, Mayank Markande, and Rahul Tewatia are the other options. They also lack a left-arm off-spinner to take the ball away from right-handers.
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The fast bowling arsenal is plenty for RR to choose from, but most likely, Jofra Archer will lead the contingent, which may include Tom Curran and Jaydev Unadkat. RR has shown tremendous faith in Unadkat and this might be the year, he repays all the money and faith they have invested in him.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS (CSK)
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) had the best start they could hope for in the fresh edition of the IPL, as they handed arch-rivals Mumbai their fifth straight loss in the UAE. Now they face the unpredictable Royals in their next match, to be played in Sharjah.
Knowing MS Dhoni, who doesn’t like to tinker with his playing XIs much, expected the same team, which beat MI, to get another go in the second match as well. This will mean the listless M Vijay getting one more chance to prove himself worthy of the opening spot he has been handed.
Watson is a notoriously slow starter and may need a couple of games to warm up, but thank god they have Ambati Rayudu and Faf du Plessis to bank on, as the duo looked like they have been playing top-flight cricket through the COVID-19 lockdown.
This time, however, Dhoni might think of giving Kedar Jadhav some game time in the middle. Sam Curran is likely to keep his place thanks to his performance and the fact that Dwayne Bravo has not recovered from his injury yet.
Dhoni and Jadeja did well in the MI game, but the focus will be on Deepak Chahar, who looked a bit out of sorts in the opener and might need to catch his rhythm quickly.
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Piyush Chawla showed why CSK values experience over youth and Lungi Ngidi might just be told to bowl fast and get wickets on that amazing Sharjah wicket.
Rajasthan Royals Predicted Playing XIs:
Robin Uthappa (WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Steve Smith (C), David Miller, Riyan Parag, Shreyas Gopal, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Mayank Markande, Jaydev Unadkat
Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XIs:
Shane Watson, M Vijay, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C&WK), Faf du Plessis, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Deepak Chahar, Piyush Chawla, Lungi Ngidi
