After enduring an embarrassing 50-run defeat to RCB in Chennai, CSK will now lock horns with RR in Guwahati on Sunday. Gaikwad and co. made some glaring mistakes against Bengaluru, including playing an under-performing Rahul Tripathi & Deepak Hooda, and sending MSD to bat at number 9. The five-time champions will be aiming to rectify these mistakes and get back to winning ways on Sunday.
| Position | Player | Role |
| 1. | Ruturaj Gaikwad (C) | Batter |
| 2. | Devon Conway | Batter |
| 3. | Rachin Ravindra | Batter |
| 4. | Shivam Dube | All-rounder |
| 5. | Vijay Shankar | All-rounder |
| 6. | MS Dhoni (WK) | Batter |
| 7. | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| 8. | Sam Curran | All-rounder |
| 9. | Ravichandran Ashwin | All-rounder |
| 10. | Noor Ahmed | Bowler |
| 11. | Khaleel Ahmed | Bowler |
Drop Tripathi, Hooda & pick Conway
After a string of poor performances, it is high time CSK drop Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda from their playing XI vs RR. The experiment to play Tripathi as an opener has failed on both occasions so far. The batter has looked out form, yielded poor results and has in turn put immense pressure on the middle-order.
CSK should return to old ways and allow Gaikwad to open along with Conway. Rachin can play at number three. The inclusion of Vijay Shankar in the side will not only give CSK an extra hand with bowling but will also increase their batting depth.
Will Dhoni play up the order?
CSK’s mistake of allowing Dhoni to bat at number 9 against RCB proved to be a disaster. The ex-CSK skipper had the highest strike rate (~190) among all the other batters in the contest. He sizzled with a 16-ball 30-run knock. Had he come out to bat before, CSK surely would have had a better chance of winning the game. It remains to be seen if Gaikwad will allow Dhoni to bat ahead of Jadeja and Ashwin against RR.
Spin is king in Guwahati
The trio of Ashwin-Jadeja-Noor will once again play a crucial role in the tie against RR. The spin-friendly surface in Guwahati is poised to favour CSK more than RR. As for pacers, Shankar, Curran and Khaleel can do the job. Anshul Kamboj or Matheesha Pathirana can replace Conway as an impact substitute when CSK are bowling.
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