Venue: Sheikh Zayed International Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue: 163
Win percentage while batting first: 44.83%
Pitch Conditions:
- Out of the 5 matches played here at the Sheikh Zayed International Cricket stadium in Abu Dhabi in the second leg of Indian T20 League 2021, 4 have been won by teams batting second which underlines the importance of making a good strong first-innings total since the pitch remains favourable to batsmen throughout the contests.
- With 69.18% of the wickets coming their way, fast bowlers have dominated the proceedings at Abu Dhabi cricket Ground while spinners have got only 30.82% of the wickets in their column.
Weather prediction:
The skies in Abu Dhabi on Saturday will remain partly cloudy throughout the day but there won’t be much difference in the other elements of the weather. The temperature will be around 33 to 34°C during the match hours on Saturday evening with the humidity levels a little above 50%.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD:
Matches played: 24
Team Rajasthan won: 9
Team Chennai won: 15
No result: –
Last 5 matches:
Team Rajasthan won: 2
Team Chennai won: 3
No result: –
Top 3 players from Team Rajasthan: Sanju Samson, Evin Lewis, Mustafizur Rahman
Top 3 players from Team Chennai: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Josh Hazlewood
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from from Team Rajasthan: Sanju Samson, Evin Lewis, Mustafizur Rahman, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Chetan Sakariya
Top 5 players from Team Chennai: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Josh Hazlewood, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
It is a contest between two teams who have had contrasting runs in the Indian T20 League 2021 tournament. While Team Chennai are sitting at the top of the pile, with 18 points in 11 matches giving them assurance of finishing at the first spot in the league round, Team Rajasthan are languishing at the penultimate spot with only 8 points in 11 matches and a huge challenge ahead of them. Given the form that Team Chennai batsmen are in, they certainly are the team who are red-hot favourites to win this contest. For this match, adding more to the batting strength will help the fantasy player cover all possibilities since the teams batting second have been majorly successful in the second leg of Indian T20 League 2021 at this venue.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
While there is no dearth of talent in their ranks, Team Rajasthan have certainly missed some of their superstars from England who are out of action in Indian T20 League 2021. They have tried to fight the fires with multIndian T20 League e solutions, but nothing has worked for them on a permanent or long-term basis. Sanju Samson remains their best batting hope, and even if the others try to chip in with unified performances, they tend to look short on several counts. On the other hand, Team Chennai are a side which is functioning like a well-oiled unit. After top order fired yet again, the lower middle-order consisting Ambati Rayudu and M Dhonii finished off the game against Hyderabad on Thursday night. Josh Hazlewood was terrific too with his spell of 4-0-24-3. There is absolutely no doubt in stating that Team Chennai are the stronger side in this contest and should have more players featuring in the fantasy cricket XI.
MORE INFORMATION: With 18 points from 11 matches, Team Chennai should have done enough by now to qualify for the Indian T20 League 2021 playoffs. However, it remains to be seen where Chennai finish as all the other teams have at least 3 matches left and a lot can change over the period of time. Team Chennai also have the best Net Run Rate (NRR) in the points table — something that should hold them in good stead. On the other hand, with a negative NRR of -0.468 and only 4 wins from 11 matches and 7 defeats giving them 8 points, Team Rajasthan are facing a battle of survival as the competition is heating up between 4-5 teams in the mid-table for a spot in the final four of Indian T20 League 2021.
Players’ form: Team Rajasthan were served well by the Caribbean explosive batsmen Evin Lewis in their contest against Bangalore, in which the left-handed smacked 58 from 37 balls at the top of the order to provide Rajasthan with a strong start. However, the Team Rajasthan have been lacking a lot of composure and solidity in this Indian T20 League , and that was evident when they crashed from a situation of command to the one from which they lost the game by a margin of 7 wickets. Samson had an off day with the bat against Bangalore but he still managed to get into double digits after two scores in excess of 70. For Chennai, it is imperative for their middle order to keep getting runs and finishing matches like they did against Hyderabad, with Dhonii hitting the winning runs and Rayudu in tow.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
Team Rajasthan: Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Mahipal Lomror, Liam Livingstone, Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Karthik Tyagi, Mustafizur Rahman
Team Chennai: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, M Dhonii (c&wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood.
FANTASY XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis (c), Sanju Samson (vc), Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, M Dhonii (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahipal Lomror, Josh Hazlewood, Chetan Sakariya
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Team Chennai look to consolidate against struggling Team Rajasthan
A superior Team Chennai team will look to continue with their juggernaut in the second leg of Indian T20 League 2021 with four victories on the trot in their last as many matches giving them plenty of firepower and confidence against a struggling Team Rajasthan, who are coming off three defeats in their last four appearances.
Team Chennai have 18 points from 11 matches including 9 victories and 2 defeats and the best NRajasthanof 1.002 giving them the top spot in the Indian T20 League 2021 points table, and the assurance that they are likely to finish at the top of the pile as well.
While Dhonii’s Team Chennai look assured of a spot in the Indian T20 League play-offs after missing the berth last year which was their worst season ever, Team Rajasthan have stumbled in the last few matches despite a single-handed determined fight from their captain Samson.
Samson has waged a lone battle with the bat for Team Rajasthan but he has not found enough support from his teammates across departments to help turnaround of fortunes for the team. Samson has two scores in excess of 70 in the last three matches, which indicates his current form but the same cannot be said for his other teammates.
Lewis provided Team Rajasthan with a cracking start against Bangalore, scoring 58 at the top but his team petered out after losing wickets in a heap with Bangalore coming staging a comeback to record a 7-wicket victory. With the ball, Team Rajasthan do not have anyone to lead their fightback with, as most of their bowlers are struggling to take wickets and even contain the opposition batting lineups.
If anything, Team Rajasthan will have their recent record against Team Chennai to draw some inspiration from. Rajasthan have recorded victories in 2 matches out of the last 5 they have played against Team Chennai, which certainly makes their overall record look a tad better which is tilted heavily in the favour of Dhonii’s team. Chennai have won 15 matches out of the 24 that the two teams have played so far while Rajasthan have only 9 wins to show.
