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Match Details
Date: October 2, 2021
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Live Ball-by-ball Commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview: Chennai will aim to continue their winning streak when they take on a struggling Rajasthan in Indian T20 League 2021 on Saturday as the two sides lock horns at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi. Both the teams have had contrasting second half of the season. Chennai are sitting comfortably at the top of the table while Rajasthan have fallen way behind in the playoff race. This is a must-win game for Rajasthan as a loss will end their chances of making a final-4 finish.
The two teams have already met once this season in April and at that time it was the MS Dhoni-led side which emerged victorious in a one-sided contest by 45 runs. Chennai scored a formidable 188/9 thanks to superb batting from Faf du Plessis (33 off 17). Rajasthan collapsed after a good start and could only reach 143/9 in the allotted 20 overs.
Position in Indian T20 League standings before Kolkata vs Punjab game:
Chennai: Current Position: 1st (18 points in 11 matches)
Rajasthan: Current Position: 7th (8 points in 11 matches)
Team News
Chennai: Chennai have a settled team at the moment and no changes are expected in their team.
Rajasthan: The form of all-rounders Chris Morris, Riyan Parag and Rahul Tewatia is a big worry for the team while big-hitter Liam Livingstone has also been a big disappointment so far.
Head to Head (in Indian T20 League)
Matches Played – 24
Chennai – 15
Rajasthan – 9
Key Players
Sanju Samson: Sanju Samson is the top run-scorer for Rajasthan and 2nd in the list of top run-scorers in the tournament with 452 runs (before Kolkata vs Punjab game) at a strike rate of 141. He has struck 41 fours and 17 sixes in another fruitful season. The Rajasthan skipper has looked in glorious form this season but has got very little support from the other batters.
Faf du Plessis: The South African has had an excellent tournament so far as he has contributed to his team's cause with quick-fire knocks. He is 3rd in the list of top run-scorers in the tournament with 435 runs at a strike rate of 138. Interestingly, just like Samson, du Plessis has also smashed 41 fours and 17 sixes this season. It will be interesting to se which batter comes out on top on Saturday.
Chris Morris: Rajasthan signed up Chris Morris for a whopping Rs 16.25 crore in the Indian T20 League 2021 auction. The all-rounder was in decent form in the first leg of the season. However, South Africa have left him out of their T20 World Cup squad and Morris seems out of sorts in the second phase of the tournament this season. He has gone wicket-less and has conceded 124 runs in just 11 overs. There will be huge pressure on the experienced all-rounder to perform against Chennai.
Probable Playing XI
Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Rajasthan: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Kartik Tyagi