Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings: IPL 2022 match preview

The Cricketer takes a look at the next fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League season

What's the match?

Rajasthan Royals take on Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League.

When is it taking place?

The match will be played Friday, May 20 with play starting at 7.30pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The game will be held at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.

Who's got the form?

Rajasthan Royals have already qualified for the play-offs, but still have something to play for. A win over Chennai Super Kings here would put them above Lucknow Super Giants and into Qualifier 1, rather than the longer and more treacherous route to the final via the Eliminator.

By comparison, it has been a thoroughly disappointing season for CSK, who have only won four of 13 matches. While CSK's batters are coming into some form – most notably returning skipper MS Dhoni, Devon Conway and Ruturaj Gaikwad – their bowling has been a problem.

Ravindra Jadeja and Mukesh Choudhary have not done well this season while mystery spinner Maheesh Theekshana, much-touted to be a successful overseas player, has had his moments but been inconsistent.

^{Devon Conway}

What's the key match-up?

For CSK, their opening partnership of Devon Conway and Rutaraj Gaikwad is leading their late-season resurgence. They cannot qualify for the play-offs, but the pair are showing that CSK will have strong batting foundations to build from next season.

Theekshana going up against the in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal will also be a keen contest at the top of the innings. The powerplays can often swing the momentum to one side or the other and in this game in particular they will be key.

Jos Buttler is the glue of the Royals batting lineup, and while it is now unlikely that he will break Virat Kohli's record-setting 973-run season in IPL 2016, he needs more help if his side are to qualify. Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal are key and will be coming up against an out of form CSK bowling attack.

Head-to-head record 

Matches played: 26

Rajasthan Royals wins: 11

Chennai Super Kings: 15

What's the weather forecast?

A warm day is expected in Mumbai, with highs of 32 degrees Celsius, falling to 30 degrees by first ball of the match.

What are the squads?

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell

Chennai Super Kings: Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Robin Uthappa, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Simarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Subhranshu Senapati, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma

^{Rajasthan Royals have a strong batting unit}

What are the possible starting XIs?

Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Mitch Santner, Dwaine Pretorius, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary

What are the odds?

The bookies make Rajasthan Royals favourites for this match with 3/4 odds. CSK are 13/10 to win on Friday.

What's the prediction?

With Chennai having nothing but pride to play for, expect the Royals to win this one. The prize of playing Gujarat Titans for a place in the IPL final will spur them on, even though they have already secured playoff qualification.

Where can I watch the game?

In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.

Fans in India can watch all of the action on Star Sports.

Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.

Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.

Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.

The IPL can also be streamed on Disney+ and Hotstar in certain areas.