Chepauk Stadium. (Photo Source: Twitter)
In the final league match at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai of IPL 2024, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host Rajasthan Royals (RR). Both teams are alive in the race to the playoffs and are in a very comfortable position. Even though this is match 61 out of 70 in the league stage, this is the only fixture scheduled between these two teams in the league stage.
In their last match, CSK were blown away against GT as Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan both put up centuries and broke a plethora of other records. CSK’s top order imploded before Daryl Mitchell and Moeen Ali tried to stage what looked like a comeback, but the task was too tall and CSK could only salvage their net run rate with some help from MS Dhoni.
Rajasthan Royals succumbed to a second consecutive loss in their last match. The fifties from Jake Fraser-McGurk and Abhishek Porel were followed by a cameo from Tristan Stubbs as Delhi Capitals put up a formidable total. RR skipper Sanju Samson was the only one who put up something with the bat for the Royals and they succumbed to their third loss in as many as 11 matches.
MA Chidambaram Stadium Pitch Report
The surface here might show signs of returning to the Chepauk of old, especially in a day game with the tournament drifting towards its business end. This stadium has not been immune to the high-scoring epidemic of IPL 2024, but it has shown some shadows of returning to the slow surface everyone has known it as.
IPL Stats and Records at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Out of 82, 48 matches have been won batting first here without any no results. The average first innings total is 166 here.
| Matches Played | 82 |
| Matches Won Batting First | 48 |
| Matches Won Batting Second | 34 |
| Matches Won Winning Toss | 42 |
| Matches Won Losing Toss | 40 |
| Matches With No Result | 00 |
| Highest Team Total | 246/5 |
| Lowest Team Total | 70 |
| Average First Innings Total | 166 |
| Highest Total Successfully Chased | 211 |
CSK vs RR Strategies & Match-ups
No day games have been played at this stadium yet, so the spinners might come into this game more than they have in any other in this, or any other stadium so far. The spinners might also set a precedent for a low-scoring game against the general mould. The important matchups for this game are- Sanju Samson vs Ravindra Jadeja, Jos Buttler vs Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Trent Boult, Shivam Dube vs R Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja vs Sandeep Sharma, respectively.
Player Battles to Watch Out For
Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Trent Boult:
In 24 balls, the CSK skipper has been dismissed thrice by the ace pacer and has only scored 22 runs at a strike rate of 91.67 while 7.33 is the batting average.
Sanju Samson vs Ravindra Jadeja:
Samson has been dismissed thrice by the former CSK skipper, but has scored 71 runs in 50 balls. This comes out to an average of 23.67 with a strike rate of 142.
X-Factors for CSK vs RR
Chennai Super Kings:
Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has been leading the batting charts for CSK and has been leading from the front. Even though he had a torrid time last match, it will ultimately be him that will be integral to CSK’s chances.
Rajasthan Royals:
Just like CSK, RR’s most consistent batter has been captain Sanju Samson. He has been performing day in and day out and will be the most important cog in RR’s wheel. If RR have to shake off the two-match losing streak, Samson will step up.
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