CSK were stunned in their second game against RCB at home. © BCCI In less than 48 hours after their winning streak against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the MA Chidambaram Stadium came to an end, Chennai Super Kings will be up for their next assignment, in Guwahati. Given how the contest at the venue played out on Wednesday, the spin-friendly surface could offer them more home comfort than the one dished out in the sultry climes of Chennai on Friday. To make their prospects merrier, they will come up against Rajasthan Royals, a side whose bowlers were battered by Sunrisers Hyderabad and whose batters were left troubled by Kolkata Knight Riders. Going into the second game of Sunday’s double-header clash, Royals will be one of only two teams in the competition yet to register a win. In Guwahati, the ball stopped and turned a fair bit, especially in the first innings. However, while RR’s stand-in skipper Riyan Parag admitted that he went on the offensive too early, he also showed the poise to remind everyone that he knows his home-surface way too well to maximise the scoring opportunities. So far, that home familiarity hasn’t stood them in much good health, with RR managing to win only one out of their five matches at the venue over the last three editions. But if Parag is confident, RR would need nothing more than the captain reviving his old form in the new season and leading the way with the bat. CSK, on the other hand, have a different set of concerns, none more bizarre than their struggles with chasing. They have failed to win each of their last eight games where they were asked to chase down a total above 175, despite winning the toss on six of those occasions. Their strength lies in its bowling core, which could prove potent if the pitch continues to assist the slower bowlers. However, if RR are able to rack up a big total, they could seriously test CSK’s batting unit. Head to head: RR 13 – 16 CSK. Since 2020 though, RR have had the better of CSK with a 6-2 win record. When: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 7:30 PM IST Where: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 11, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati What to expect: There was ample turn on offer for the spinners. It was also holding on a bit. Run-scoring could be a bit difficult. However, batters who are able to settle in, especially in the second innings, will have a lot to cash in. Team Watch: Rajasthan Royals Injuries/Unavailability: Sanju Samson is expected to be away from wicketkeeping and captaincy duties. No other injuries or unavailabilities have been reported Tactics & Matchups: Expect Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande to be on duty against Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda. Both the batters were out to short-pitched balls vs RCB. Tripathi was also bounced out by Deepak Chahar in CSK’s opening game. That was a struggle for both even during their fine run in 2022. Against short-pitched deliveries, Hooda averages 17.1 and Tripathi averages 15.14. Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag (c), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Kumar Kartikeya/Sandeep Sharma Chennai Super Kings Injuries/Unavailability: No concerns for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side on this front. Tactics & Matchups: Quite interestingly, R Ashwin has a favourable matchup against Sanju Samson, in terms of both containing him as well as dismissing him. However, Nitish Rana has scored at a strike rate of above 186 against the office without ever getting dismissed by him in the 58-ball face-off in the IPL. Probable XII: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana Did you know? CSK haven’t chased down a 175-plus target in IPL since 2021 Royals have played five matches in Guwahati – all since 2023: one win, three defeats, one NR In the two games so far this season, Ravindra Jadeja is yet to pick up a wicket Deepak Hooda has registered a single-digit score in 13 of his 23 IPL innings since 2023
