Rajasthan Royals look to rein in Chennai Super Kings

RANCHI: When the Chennai Super Kings team bus reached JSCA International Cricket Stadium on Monday afternoon, there were no fans to welcome them.
It is unusual in Mahendra Singh Dhoni's hometown where he enjoys demi god-like status. What kept fans indoor is the heat. Even around 6 pm, the mercury refused to drop below 40 degrees Celsius.
Imagine the ordeal of playing a T20 match from 4 pm.For the same reason CSK batsmen had to play only net bowlers in practice till the lights came on.
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, are coming off a fantastic run chase against Royal Challengers Bangalore, and their confidence would be sky high.
When these two sides met in Dubai earlier in the tournament, CSK had prevailed in a low scoring match as the Royals' batting failing miserably.
But there, as Chennai bowling coach Andy Bichel pointed out on Monday, "the ball swung around. Bowlers did get some help in UAE." Now IPL is back on familiar terrain, where any target is achievable and batsmen are likely to have the last word.
While the Super Kings are looking all the more invincible this season with the addition of Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum to their squad, Royals are once again looking the side to beat with exciting young players like Sanju Samson and Karun Nair complementing seasoned performers Shane Watson, Smith and Faulkner.
Barring the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, when they inexplicably collapsed for 102 chasing a low target, Royals have been very competitive. If they win on Tuesday, Royals will join Super Kings and Kings XI Punjab at the top of the table with 14 points.
To be played on the same strip which hosted the CSK-KKR match, spinners are likely to play a crucial role, especially when the lights come on. One of the reasons Dhoni does not mind Ranchi as his team's 'adopted home' is the purchase Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin get from the pitch here.
Jadeja, who had claimed 4-12 against the Knight Riders, will relish bowling on this surface. So would Ashwin and West Indies leg-spinner Samuel Badree.
Royals will be banking on their veteran leg-spinner Pravin Tambe (14 wkts) to keep CSK's strong batting line-up in check.