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IPL 2021 | RR vs CSK: Sanju Samson’s biggest test yet, can Rajasthan fight back against Super Kings?

Abhishek Singh

The Rajasthan Royals have had a tough time in the UAE leg of the Indian Premier League 2021. In fact, they have lost three of the four games that they have played and the one which they won was solely due to the brilliance of Kartik Tyagi. When they came to UAE, they still had some chance of qualification, but now those hopes are draining down the road. 

With almost nothing to lose, Sanju Samson, the only man in form for the Royals could actually fuel his troops to go for one last dance before the mega auctions next year. The Royals definitely have the talent, it is about time they start executing it in regular basis. 

A team with Tabraiz Shamsi, Evin Lewis, Liam Livingstone and Mustafizur Rahman in their kitty playing in UAE is like a dream combination. And if even after this, they are unable to win, then there is something seriously wrong in terms of strategy and its execution. 

One thing that Rajasthan need to do is get rid of non-performing players, especially Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag and Chris Morris. They need to have players who aren’t coming with baggage and allow them to express themselves without thinking about the consequences anymore. Because RR hardly have anything to worry about in terms of consequences. 

The other team in the reckoning, Chennai Super Kings have already qualified for the Playoffs and if anything they would be looking to rest at least a few players for their next three games. But that does not mean that they wouldn’t be looking to win the game, because in IPL every match counts and finishing in the top two is as important as anything else. 

Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings: Details

Match number: 47

Date and Time: October 02, 2021, 07:30 pm IST (10:00 GMT), 06:00 pm Local, 02:00 pm GMT

Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Broadcast and Livestream: Star Sports and Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitches throughout UAE haven’t really been supportive of batting as it was the last time around in 2020. The squares have dried up with a lot of cricket having been already played. Thus in this game also, any score around and above 150-160 would be par and the team defending should look to make it as tough as possible for the team chasing. 

Weather Forecast

The temperatures would be in the mid-thirties and humidity would keep on increasing as the match progresses. There might be dew later on and thus, any team winning the toss would look to bowl first. 

Team News

Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan would look to bring in Shreyas Gopal in place of Tewatia. Even Shivam Dube can be tested in place of Parag so that two fresh players come in with a fresh approach and try and win the game. It is mostly about now testing the players. Tabraiz Shamsi most definitely gets a game and if the team is looking to replace Livingstone, Glenn Philipps is not a bad option either. 

Probable XI

Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Liam Livingstone/Glenn Phillips, Mahipal Lomror, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Tabraiz Shamsi, Kartik Tyagi, Mustafizur Rahman

Chennai Super Kings

On the other hand, Super Kings, who don’t really believe in changing the playing XI much, would look to rest Dwayne Bravo and Josh Hazlewood before the Playoffs so they remain fresh. Sam Curran and Lungi Ngidi could be given a go at their place. 

Probable XI

Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Lungi Ngidi

CE XI Fantasy team

Wicketkeepers Sanju Samson

Batters Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Yashasvi Jaiswal

All-rounders Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja

Bowlers Shardul Thakur, Kartik Tyagi, Mustafizur Rahman, Tabraiz Shamsi

Vice-Captain Sanju Samson

Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad 

Discover more

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IPL 2021 | MI vs DC: Under Pressure Mumbai take the field against assertive Delhi

An under pressure Mumbai Indians side will be locking horns with an impressive Delhi Capitals in Sharjah in the first match of the double-header day on October 2, 2021. While MI would be looking to continue the momentum that they got against Punjab Kings in the last match and remain alive in the playoffs race, DC would seek to cement a place in the final four. The Rohit Sharma-led Mumbai side will be coming into this match on the back of a win against PBKS after they chased down a target of 136 with one over to spare. All-rounder Hardik Pandya who had a struggling time was back among runs as he struck an unbeaten 40 off 30 deliveries to see his side home. Hardik’s brother Krunal too looked in good touch with the ball after the left-hander returned with figures of 1/24 in 4 overs. Apart from these two, all-rounder Kieron Pollard chipped in with some good performance with the ball first up and then played a cameo of a 7-ball 15*. The one positive that came for Mi in this clash was the positive performances from their all-rounders, something on which the Mumbai team generally fancy their chances. Though Hardik didn’t bowl, he was handy enough with the willow. On the other hand, the encounter between Delhi Capitals and Kolkata Knight Riders became an eventful one. Off-spinner R Ashwin was involved in a heated argument with KKR captain Eoin Morgan and pacer Tim Southee. The right-handed cricketer faced some backlash for the same on social media to which Ashwin said that he “took a stand for himself”. Well, keeping the controversies aside, the Delhi team struggled with the bat and failed to put up a competitive total against a pretty formidable KKR side. The Capitals’ bowlers did give a fight but the runs on the scoresheet were never enough to give them a positive result. Pacer Avesh Khan returned with figures of 3/13 in three overs. Talking about the previous fixture between the two sides in this edition, DC etched a comfortable win by 6 wickets in 19.1 overs after chasing down 138 in Chennai. Barring Rohit Sharma, the MI batsmen struggled to get any runs on the board while spinner Amit Mishra capitalise on the conditions perfectly and bagged a four-for during the course. Match Details: Mumbai Indians vs Delhi Capitals, Match 46 Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Date & Time: October 2nd at 3:30 PM IST, and at 2:00 PM local time Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar Pitch Report The track in Sharjah hasn’t really seen very high scoring encounters in the competition and it is expected to behave in the same manner. The bowlers might get some assistance while the batters will need to get their eye in before going for big shots. Both the sides comprise of a batting unit who can be lethal once they are settled in. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first. MI’s strength back in groove Mumbai Indians would be relieved after the way Krunal Pandya, Hardik and Pollard fared in the last match. While Krunal bowled an economical spell, Hardik was among the runs and Pollard produced an all-round show. Though Mumbai are not in a hurry to make Hardik bowl, his services with the bat are enough to keep the side in the hunt. DC bank on bowling unit The Delhi Capitals’ bowlers put in a lot of effort in the last encounter despite the batters failing to put up a competitive total on the board. While the fast bowlers have been lethal and picked up wickets consistently, the spinners too have been pretty effective. Team News Mumbai Indians: Mumbai Indians have roped in Simarjeet Singh in place of injured Arjun Tendulkar. Simarjeet started training with the side after completing the mandatory quarantine. Delhi Capitals: The Delhi Capitals are missing the services of opener Prithvi Shaw and all-rounder Marcus Stoinis due to fitness issues. However, fielding coach Mohammad Raif has insisted that the two players are “getting better”. “They both are getting better,” Kaif said about Stoinis and Shaw in a virtual press conference. “In fact, Shaw had a hit in the nets yesterday. Stoinis started to run a bit. We will be taking a call on Shaw tomorrow ahead of the game. For Stoinis, there is still probably a few matches to go from here on,” he added. Probable XI MI: Rohit Sharma (c), Quinton de Kock (wk), Suryakumar Yadav, Saurabh Tiwary, Hardik Pandya, Kieron Pollard, Krunal Pandya, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Trent Boult, Jasprit Bumrah DC: Prithvi Shaw/Lalit Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan, Steve Smith, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant (c & wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Avesh Khan Fantasy XI Quinton de Kock, Rishabh Pant, Rohit Sharma (c), Steve Smith, Shikhar Dhawan, Shreyas Iyer (vc), Axar Patel, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rahul Chahar, Jasprit Bumrah, Anrich Nortje

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DC’s biggest challenge against Mumbai Indians is to bat well: Mohammad Kaif

Delhi Capitals will be up against the Mumbai Indians once again this season, having beaten them by six wickets in the earlier meeting. However, they know that they have a very bad record against the Paltan, especially after being 4-0 down in the last season where they lost in the final too. Mohammad Kaif, the fielding coach of the Capitals believe that DC’s biggest challenge against Mumbai Indians is to bat well. “The biggest challenge against Mumbai is to put runs on the board. Whenever we have lost against these guys, we haven’t been able to do well with the bat. So our goal would be to either get runs on the board and put them under pressure, or even if we bat second then, bat well and chase it down,” he said in a virtual press conference ahead of both team’s clash on Saturday. Aksed if the Capitals would look to change the playing XI and experiment with some new talents having almost qualified for the Playoffs, Kaif said, “In the IPL funny things happen and we are well aware of that. We have to keep getting better.” “There are always areas to improve even though you sit at the top of the table. IPL is the toughest tournament to win and last year we realised that when we missed out in the finals losing to Mumbai. Therefore we want to play our best team all the time,” the 40-year-old added. The two teams will be playing in Sharjah, while it would be the first game for Mumbai in the smaller stadium, Delhi have played against Rajasthan and KKR and have won and lost respectively. Asked about the change in the playing conditions in Sharjah compared the last year, the former India player said that cricket is a condition-based game and players need to adapt accordingly. “It’s a condition-based game and what you get on the day, you play on it. Pitches have been on the slower side and they are turning a bit, higher-scoring games have not happened. Last year it was totally different, last year it was a fantastic pitch, not so much turn, even bounce to play your shots,” he said. “People say it’s a small ground, but I don’t think so. 70 meters boundaries. It is definitely on the slower side this time around. But my thinking is that if you play on difficult pitches where it is tough to score runs, you must take it as a challenge. The team taking the challenge head-on will win,” Kaif added.

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IPL 2021 | DC to take decision on Shaw’s availability for next game tomorrow, Stoinis still unfit

The Delhi Capitals are missing out in the services of their top two players in Prithvi Shaw and Marcus Stoinis even as the Playoffs are nearing. However, the fielding coach of the franchise, Mohmmad Kaif appraised the situation and said that Shaw is getting back to his usual best. “They both are getting better,” Kaif said about Stoinis and Shaw in a virtual press conference. “In fact, Shaw had a hit in the nets yesterday. Stoinis started to run a bit. We will be taking a call on Shaw tomorrow ahead of the game. For Stoinis, there is still probably a few matches to go from here on,” he added. A hotly debated topic over the last few days has been the tussle between the Kolkata Knight Riders duo of Tim Southee- Eoin Morgan and Capitals’ spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. The extra run that Ashwin ran even as the ball ricocheted from Rishabh Pant’s body is being termed against the spirit of the game. Putting his two cents on that matter, Kaif said, “If I go back to the World Cup when England won, even though batsmen didn’t want to take the run, but because of the rules they got the run. So I think there are grey areas in the law. We need to work on them.” “Either your state in the law that the ball is dead if it hits the bat or player and ricochets after a throw or you make it a law that players can run even after the ball ricocheting. Otherwise, it is a bit confusing because someone is following the rules and they are within the rights to take the run. So a rule is a must,” the 40-year-old added.