The team combination has come under scrutiny following the Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) most significant home loss to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday night. Ruturaj Gaikwad is batting at number three; why? Can Rachin Ravindra slide down a spot and he open with Devon Conway instead?
After redefining himself as a spin basher during their 2023 championship run, is No. 6 the ideal position for Shivam Dube? What is the situation with MS Dhoni, who entered the game against RCB as late as number nine?
Given that they only arrive in Guwahati on match eve, CSK, on the other hand, have minimal downtime.
These enquiries give the impression that CSK is in a terrible predicament, but unlike the Rajasthan Royals (RR), who have lost two straight games, they are at least on the board. Since Yashasvi Jaiswal hasn’t yet reached his peak, Riyan Parag, the stand-in captain, has taken over at number three.
Shimron Hetmyer‘s batting position is also under scrutiny, with some questioning whether he is batting too low. Do they have one of the weakest batting benches? Their two Indian choices, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Kunal Singh Rathore, are inexperienced, and they lack another overseas batting cover. Despite the Impact Player rule, what about their tactic of playing fewer batters while taking first strike?
For teams to consider this early in the season, they are remarkably lengthy lists of questions. Reaching 242 in their chase of 287 against Sunrisers Hyderabad will give RR comfort. It might be difficult to make the lengthy flight to the far east.
Maheesh Theekshana and Tushar Deshpande are new allies.
Former net bowler and now Dhoni’s reliable ally, seamer Tushar Deshpande, is currently with RR. Former RR player Dube is currently a mainstay in the CSK roster. Maheesh Theekshana, a powerplay specialist for CSK, is currently playing a similar position for RR.
Team updates and probable XIIs
There is a case to bring in Conway for Sam Curran, even though CSK isn’t known for chop-and-change. This can also result in Impact Sub Rahul Tripathi playing as a floater and Vijay Shankar or Anshul Kamboj as the bowling or batting all-rounders.
Chennai Super Kings: 1 Rachin Ravindra (likely) 2 Devon Conway, 3 Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, Fourth, Vijay Shankar/Rahul Tripathi 5. Shivam Dube 6 Ravindra Jadeja 7 MS Dhoni (week), 8 R Ashwin, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Khaleel Ahmed, 12 Matheesha Pathirana, 9 Anshul Kamboj
Their impact player for a bowling option will probably be Sanju Samson. Perhaps RR might think about bringing in Kumar Kartikeya, after the spinners of the Kolkata Knight Riders dominated the previous match in Guwahati.
Sanju Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag (captain), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (workweek), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, and Kumar Kartikeya/Tushar Deshpande are the potential members of the Rajasthan Royals.
The big question
Will Gaikwad return to open the CSK batting? In any event, he has batted in the second over of both games thus far.
Should
Rahul Tripathi and Riyan Parag are in the spotlight.
Despite being a stand-in, Riyan Parag’s debut IPL captaincy has had a difficult start. In addition, he now has the duty of setting the pace at No. 3, as opposed to No. 4, where he excelled the previous season. He needs no greater incentive than another opportunity to score in front of his home fans, despite having scored 4 and 25 in his first two games.
When Rahul Tripathi entered the IPL halfway through 2017 and helped the Rising Pune Supergiants reach the final, he established himself as an opener. Since then, he has played for several teams, including KKR, RR, SRH, and now CSK, but he hasn’t found the consistency he’s looking for. He is in a position after two single-digit scores to start a new season. He has another chance to shine because CSK isn’t known to tinker too much with their starting lineup.
Conditions and pitch
Three nights earlier in Guwahati, Moeen Ali prevented KKR from losing Sunil Narine. Varun Chakravarthy bowled much more slowly, which allowed him to receive some help. These surroundings might feel more like “home” to CSK than Chepauk, which coach Stephen Fleming feels hasn’t provided them with any “advantage.”
Important statistics
With 90 wickets, Wanindu Hasaranga has the most in T20 cricket since 2024.
Since 2024, Khaleel Ahmed’s 11 wickets in the IPL powerplay have been the most by a current CSK bowler.
Dhoni is currently the top run scorer for CSK. In his 16-ball 30 against RCB, he eclipsed Suresh Raina’s 4687-run total.
The next three games
The Royals’ final game in Guwahati this season is this one. Before returning home to Jaipur for their opening IPL 2025 encounter against RCB, they take flights to Mullanpur and Ahmedabad to play a few away games against the Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans.
After this, CSK switches between home and away games. Before playing PBKS three days later, they take a plane home to host the Delhi Capitals on Saturday afternoon. After that, they return home to Chennai to play KKR on April 11.
Sayings
“We’ll see who wins in the end, even if we don’t swing from ball one and have a little luck go away. There is no denying that cricket is a wonderful sport, but don’t undervalue us.”
India
