Key match stats
Pitch Stats – Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Average first innings score: 157
Average first innings winning score: 174
Average powerplay score: 45
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 31% / 67%
Team form RR vs CSK
RR: LLWWW
CSK: WWWLW
Recent meetings: RR won by 3 runs
Preview RR vs CSK
Rajasthan come into this match looking to arrest a slump in form that has seen them lose 2 on the bounce. A defeat here wouldn't be terminal for their chances of making the top 2 but it would certainly leave them with plenty of work to do to close a 4 point gap against CSK. With the Titans due to play a struggling KKR side at the weekend a win here for CSK could see the top 2 starting to make a break away from the chasing pack!
These of course are all hypotheticals and Rajasthan will very much fancy their chances of returning to winning ways against a side that they defeated just last week!
That win saw Rajasthan put in the kind of performance that the Super Kings themselves are famed for in Chepauk - get the runs on the board and then strangle opposition with spin. Dhoni and Jadeja's late charge helped to close the gap in the final couple of overs but they'd left themselves just too much to do having previously lost 5 wickets for 35 runs over the course of 33 balls in the middle phase.
Since then, and following some stinging criticism from MS Dhoni, CSK's batsmen have been spectacular, recording first innings scores of 226 and 235 against RCB and KKR respectively while making very easy work of Sunrisers below average score to secure 3 wins in a row.
I am continually surprised by the form of Ajinke Rahane in this IPL. We saw during his time as captain of Rajasthan that he was capable of the occasional good T20 innings when the conditions were in his favour but generally it looked as though his IPL career was finished with sides like KKR and DC happy to have him around as a safe, experienced head in case of an injury crisis or dramatic loss of form. However, at the moment, you'd have to say he's the most impactful player batting at 3 in the tournament.
Meanwhile Rajasthan's top order isn't quite firing to the extend it did at the start of the season. Losing Jos Buttler for 0 in 2 of their last 3 games certainly hasn't helped the cause but the bigger concern is that Rajasthan seem incapable of maintaining the momentum that they've built in the powerplay through the middle overs.
Coincidentally, the Royals have reached 47 in both of their last 2 powerplays. They were none down against LSG and one down against RCB but in the middle over phase of both games they slowed dramatically while also losing wickets. Against the Super Giants wickets in the 12th, 13th and 14th overs halted their progress while a similar period of 4 overs where they scored 16 runs for the loss of 2 wickets meant that they left themselves too much to do against RCB.
| Season | Win % batting first | Win % batting second |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 58% | 60% |
| 2023 | 100% | 25% |
| Total | 67% | 44% |
Rajasthan Royals win % batting first vs batting second
The bigger concern for the Royals management will be the temperament of their side in the chase. We saw last season that they were very effective at setting a score and defending it with a highly experienced bowling line-up but the same can't be said for their batsmen. All 3 defeats this season have come while chasing, conversely they are unbeaten while batting first.
The pitch in Jaipur did not look particularly easy to score on especially when pace was off the ball. At the same time IPL records at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium suggest that this is a ground where historically teams do better batting second (67% wins for chasing sides). The Royals looked well on course to continue that trend in their last match here until the aforementioned collapse.
Could the inability to win batting second, particularly at this stadium prove a major disadvantage to this Rajasthan side for the remainder of the season?
RR vs CSK head to head
CSK bowling vs RR batting
Akash Singh's performances since coming into the side have been an added bonus for a CSK squad without most of its first choice seamers due to injury. He's claimed a wicket in the powerplay in each of his last 3 appearances.
Jaiswal T20 career stats vs left-arm pace bowling
Yashasvi Jaiswal will certainly play his strokes against the left-armer, his strike rate against that form of bowling is higher than against any other. However, in his relatively short career to date, he also has a tendency to get out to it with his average against left-arm seam lower than against any other form of bowling. It looks set to be a good battle!
Ravi Jadeja T20 head to head vs Sanju Samson
We saw Devdutt Padikkal look in good touch against RCB in the last game with the Rajasthan chase falling away after his dismissal. He certainly benefitted from coming in up the order in that game but I'd imagine that the Royals will be conscious that CSK possess far better finger spin options than RCB do that could exploit any in-balance of right and left handers that they are offered.
RR bowling vs CSK batting
The inform Rahane returns to a venue that he knows very well being the all-time leading run scorer in the history of the IPL at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, while CSK also have another couple of former Royals in Ben Stokes and Ravi Jadeja who should be of use in interpreting local conditions.
Rahane IPL batting stats at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium
Rajasthan's bowlers should be confident of getting Gaikwad again early in this match as they have done in their last 2 encounters against the talented opener. Gaikwad did hit a century against Rajasthan back in 2021 but that was before the mega auction which saw the Royals make major changes to their personnel, particular on the bowling side of things.
Gaikwad career T20 head to head vs all bowlers used by RR in IPL 2023
Conversely their current squad of bowlers has an exceptional record against Chennai's opener and with the strength and depth of this CSK line-up not to mention Rajasthan's limited death over options, the Royals know that they'll need to make early in roads yet again to have a good chance of victory.
All stats used in this blog are from my own databases which are freely accessible below
IPL head to head player stats
IPL player stats by venue
IPL stadium statistics.
Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and highlights within GIFs which are not intended to infringe copyright- read full disclaimer. Background images are used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free.