Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals, both languishing at the bottom of the points table, will clash in a match that’s less about playoff hopes and more about salvaging pride. For Rajasthan Royals, this season has been riddled with issues—from failures in chasing and bowling to fundamental structural flaws. While they believed these problems could be fixed mid-season, a subpar auction left them short of quality options in both the bowling department and middle order, ultimately exposing them against stronger teams.
With a week still left in the league stage, the Royals will conclude their campaign on Tuesday in the capital, hoping to sign off with a win. Their opponents, Chennai Super Kings, haven’t fared much better. Four of their overseas players never returned, and the ones who did were part of CSK’s last game just before the tournament was suspended.
If nothing else, the season has prompted CSK to re-evaluate their longstanding philosophy of sticking with experience. While that approach has brought them success over the years, missing the playoffs in four of the last six seasons has raised questions. The introduction of new faces could hint at a subtle shift in thinking from the team management—a recognition that evolution is necessary.
Even if CSK doesn’t get to play their final game at Chepauk this season, their clash in Delhi marks a sort of homecoming for MS Dhoni. Having not played in the capital for over two years, his appearance could be one of the last glimpses fans in the city get of the iconic captain.
CSK vs RR Dream11 prediction
Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Yashasvi Jaiswal (vc), Sanju Samson, Dewald Brevis, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Khaleel Ahmed, Noor Ahmad (c), Wanindu Hasaranga, Tushar Deshpande
Probable Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings:
Devon Conway, Ayush Mhatre, Urvil Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Anshul Kamboj, R Ashwin
Rajasthan Royals:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Lhuan-dre Pretorius/Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kwena Maphaka, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi