IPL 2019: Key battles to watch out for as RR take on CSK in a must-win encounter

Steve Smith

Rajasthan Royals’ faltering season will largely depend on the result which they can conjure up at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium against an in-form Chennai Super Kings unit. It has been a woeful campaign for RR so far, managing to win only one match against the team currently languishing at the bottom of the table, Royal Challengers Bangalore. The poor results so far have meant that Rajasthan are in an urgent need of embarking on a winning streak and register some points on the board. Chennai on the other hand, have no such issues, sitting comfortably at the top of the table, winning 5 of their 6 matches. 

Here we note down the key battles which will decide the course of the contest: 

Ravindra Jadeja vs Steve Smith 

Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja has an exceptional record against former Australian captain Steven Smith. In T20 cricket, Jadeja has bowled 60 deliveries to Smith, having an economy of 5.4 and only conceding 53 runs. Jadeja has also managed to dismiss Smith 5 times, often holding the edge in the battle. Smith has so far struggled for consistent form this season, only showing glimpses of his brilliance. The match will be the perfect opportunity for Jadeja to make good use of this and further better his record against the Australian.  

Imran Tahir vs Jos Buttler  

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni recently said that Imran Tahir was like a fine wine, who kept on getting better with age. Tahir recently turned 40 but has shown no signs of slowing down, still outfoxing the batsmen with the utmost of ease. In 6 matches this season, Tahir has already picked up 9 wickets, occupying the second spot in the race for the purple cap. Tahir has a very good record against English batter Jos Buttler, dismissing him 3 times in T20 cricket, conceding 83 runs in 60 deliveries. Buttler is undoubtedly a quality player and is currently in decent form, but he often finds it challenging to score runs against quality spinners.  

Jofra Archer vs Ambati Rayudu 

Ambati Rayudu played a crucial role as Chennai Super Kings romped home to the IPL title last season, surprising one and all with his quality as an opening batsman. This season though, Rayudu has struggled for form both at the top of the order, as well as at his preferred No.4 slot in the batting order. In 6 matches so far, he has only managed to score 76 runs at an average of 15.20. Jofra Archer has been one of Rajasthan’s shining lights this season, scoring 26 runs and picking up 3 wickets in 5 matches. Whenever Rayudu and Archer have faced off, the all-rounder has come out on top, dismissing him 2 times. Rayudu has faced 7 deliveries from Archer, failing to score a single run. Will this match finally be the occasion where Rayudu comes out on top against Archer?