RAJASTHAN VS. CHENNAI: INDIAN T20 LEAGUE 2021, MATCH 47 | PREDICTION, PLAYING 11 AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
With a play-off spot already secured, former champions Chennai will look to maintain their momentum when they face a struggling Rajasthan in Match 47 of the Indian T20 League at Abu Dhabi on Saturday evening.
Rajasthan are second from the bottom in the table, with 8 points from 11 games, and a loss against Chennai will end their slim chances of qualifying for the knockout stage.
MATCH DETAILS
- Game: Rajasthan vs. Chennai, Match 47
- Venue: Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
- Date & Time: Oct. 2, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST/6 PM Local
PROBABLE PLAYING XI:
Rajasthan
Evin Lewis, Yashaswi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Chetan Sakariya, Kartik Tyagi, Mustafizur Rahman
Chennai
Rituraj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C & WK), DJ Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Weather Report
The temperature in Abu Dhabi will be around 37 degrees around the match time with high humidity.
Pitch Report
The Abu Dhabi wickets haven't been as fast as they were in 2020. They have been well-balanced this time around. However, batters need to be watchful as the pitch has some assistance for pacers early on. Spinners have also enjoyed bowling in these conditions. The average first innings score in the Indian T20 league 2020 here was 163.
Toss
Chasing has proven to be a more comfortable option for evening games. Last season, the teams that batted first won only 9 of the 22 games played at Abu Dhabi. Because of the dew factor, the pitch tends to improve for batting in the second innings. On this surface, any score above 180 should be a match-winning total.
TOP FANTASY PICKS
Wicketkeeper
- Sanju Samson has been the lone shining light in the Rajasthan batting line-up. He is currently placed 2nd on the list of top run scorers after having made 452 runs in 11 matches. He has taken a liking for Jadeja whom he smashed for 60 runs off 35 balls. Therefore, Samson will once again be a threat for Chennai in the middle overs.
Batters
- Ruturaj Gaikwad has been a revelation ever since he started opening the innings for Chennai. He is an avid reader of the game. His splendid knock of 88* bailed out Chennai from a precarious situation against Team Mumbai in the first game of the UAE leg. He has not looked back since.
- Evin Lewis has provided Rajasthan with quick starts in Power Play overs. The West Indian who was brought in as a last-minute replacement for Jos Buttler, scored a superb 37 ball 58 against Team Bangalore. He will look to play with the same intensity and put pressure on Deepak Chahar and Josh Hazlewood early on.
All-rounders
- Chris Morris has had a contrasting second leg so far. He was the standout bowler for Rajasthan with 14 wickets in just 7 games in the first leg of the tournament. However, in the UAE’s conditions, he hasn’t lived up to the expectations. This may be the perfect opportunity for him to break the shackles against Chennai. Morris has a good record against Chennai and has picked 11 wickets in 6 games at 15.73 and an economy rate of 7.31.
- Dwayne Bravo was the standout bowler against Team Hyderabad with figures of 2/17. The cherry on the cake is that he has an impressive record against Rajasthan. He and Ravindra Jadeja have 34 wickets between them against Rajasthan. Bravo also averages 53.75 against Rajasthan, with 215 runs in 12 innings.
Bowler
- Deepak Chahar went wicketless against Hyderabad and this will be his perfect opportunity to break the duck. His 10 wickets for Team Chennai this season have come at an average of 21.2 and an economy rate of less than 8. His best spell came against Team Punjab in the first leg of the league.
HOWZAT DREAM TEAM
- Wicketkeeper: S Samson
- Batters: R Gaikwad, F du Plessis, E Lewis
- All-rounders: D Bravo, M Ali, C Morris, L Livingstone
- Bowlers: R Jadeja, D Chahar, M Rahman
- Captain: R Gaikwad/S Samson
- Vice Captain: F du Plessis/E Lewis
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play all the fantasy cricket matches from the Indian T20 League. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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