Rajasthan Royals endured a heart-breaking against Royal Challengers Bangalore on Saturday and will look to bounce back soon on Monday. With the time ticking for Rajasthan Royals, they face Chennai Super Kings in the crucial fixture at Sheikh Zayed Stadium. A loss here on Monday would put RR on the brink of elimination.
With Steve Smith looking for an oasis in the middle of the desert, he has a fair share of problems to address. The majority bowling burden is handled by Jofra Archer and to an extent by Karthik Tyagi. Shreyas Gopal has remained ineffective this season with the batsmen able to judge his line and length. The fielding has been poor barring few relay catches.
We've won this before, we must win again.#CSKvRR | #HallaBol | #RoyalsFamily | #IPL2020 pic.twitter.com/6MWUfxHhZk
— Rajasthan Royals (@rajasthanroyals) October 19, 2020
At the top of the order, the experiment of playing Ben Stokes is not yielding the rich dividends. The captain might re-assess his strategy and bring Sanju back to the top order. It will be interesting to see the changes against CSK.
Here are the top three picks for Rajasthan Royals against CSK in a crucial tie on Monday:
#1) Robin Uthappa
The former Karnataka Ranji player was allowed to open the innings alongside Ben Stokes which was a game-defining moment for Rajasthan Royals. Robin Uthappa scored a spectacular 41 from 22 deliveries and seems like he has found his form. The player in the post-match interview said that he was waiting for a long-time to open the innings and score the runs.
Against the struggling bowling unit of CSK, Robbie Uthappa might be used as a floater who can bat anywhere in the order. He will be one of the top three picks for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings at Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
#2) Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia has been the standout performer and can be considered as a lone wolf who is trying to carry his side. The player has not only performed with the bat but with the ball too. In the previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, the all-rounder not only scored in the death overs but also removed Devdutt Padikkal in the middle overs. In the next ball, he caught Virat Kohli’s shot which was travelling distance.
The left-handed batsman will look to provide the impetus and up the ante for his side which is struggling to garner the victories. Can Rahul Tewatia lead his side to victory on Monday?
#3) Jos Buttler
The English wicket-keeper batsman is yet to come to the party in the league and with the time ticking for Rajasthan, he would like to take on the challenges served on the platter. The team is in the eighth position in the league table and they require big innings from the Englishman. Jos Buttler has failed to light up the league but the perfect chance is against CSK on Monday.
In IPL 2020, Buttler has 192 runs from eight games and has an only one-half century in these games. Apart from the game against Mumbai Indians, he has found it tough to get going. He will be one of the top three players for Rajasthan Royals against the struggling CSK bowling line-up.
