Match preview

Neither team is certain yet of a place in the playoffs, but the team under greater pressure is Chennai Super Kings. The two-time champions have 11 points, with six defeats and five wins. They could so easily have had 13 points, had it not been for the freakish last over against Mumbai Indians when Dwayne Smith hammered 14 from the last three balls. Perhaps most daunting for Super Kings is that their four remaining games include two against the current table leaders Kolkata Knight Riders and Delhi Daredevils. A defeat against the Royals could jeopardise their chances of qualifying.

Their batting looked over-dependent on Faf du Plessis but against Mumbai there were encouraging signs as the others chipped in. Du Plessis, though, has been down with a virus and remains doubtful for this game. But Super Kings have shown in previous editions that they are most dangerous when the pressure piles up. In 2010, their bowling was in shambles until Doug Bollinger arrived jet-lagged and transformed their fortunes, coincidentally, against Royals. Bollinger, who missed the last game, is reportedly fit and available for selection. However, du Plessis isn't so sure of being. He tweeted about being down with a virus, which he hopes will disappear soon.

Royals have also played 12 games and are just a point ahead of Super Kings. However, two of their remaining games are against the bottom-placed Deccan Chargers and Pune Warriors, and three of them are at home in Jaipur, where they have a sound record. On paper, Royals have a better chance of qualifying. They are also bolstered by the arrival of Shane Watson, who plundered the Warriors with an unbeaten 90.

Form guide (most recent first, completed games)

Rajasthan Royals: WWLLL

Chennai Super Kings: LWLLW

Players to watch

M Vijay had been in woeful form, scoring only 45 runs in 59 balls until the game against Mumbai Indians, when he smashed 41 off 29 balls. That innings included three sixes and showed signs of his form from the previous season. He has struggled this time and that has contributed to Super Kings' wobble this year. Vijay doesn't have too much time to turn things around but at least he's made a start.

As significant as Watson's 90 was the three-wicket haul by Shaun Tait against Warriors. The unpredictable Australian fast bowler silenced Sourav Ganguly and Michael Clarke with accuracy, pace and swing. The pitch was slow but Tait extracted life out of it.

Stats and trivia

Royals are clearly ahead on the batting front with nine fifty-plus scores to just four for Super Kings.

Super Kings have a 6-4 win-loss record against Royals.

Super Kings dropped just five games in total in 2011. This season, they have already lost six.

Quotes

"If you look at a team like the Delhi Daredevils, you will find guys like Virender Sehwag and Kevin Pietersen finishing off matches for them. We need someone to finish the games off." Super Kings bowling coach Andy Bichel on what the team lacks, though not convinced by the likes of 'finishers' like MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo.

"With a couple of teams in contention it looks like 18 points will be needed (to make the playoffs) but we must not worry about what is needed but just play good cricket." Rahul Dravid, Royals' captain

CSK vs RR

Upbeat after their two consecutive victories, Rajasthan Royals would aim for a hat-trick of wins and inch closer to a playoffs spot when they take on an insipid Chennai Super Kings in an IPL match on Thursday.

Rajasthan have the winning momentum with them and have emerged from the shock of four consecutive defeats by posting two impressive wins over Kings XI Punjab and Pune Warriors.

The match will be a keenly-fought contest because a defeat in the match might just spoil the chances of either team to make it to playoffs.

The team composition for the previous two matches has been remarkable for Rajasthan Royals. With Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and pacer Shaun Tait in the side, they have proved that they are better as a team than their more fancied rivals.

Shane Watson has been in fine form both with the bat and ball while Tait has proved that he is more than a handful in conditions that suit him.

The batting of the hosts revolves round the opening partnership of skipper Rahul Dravid and Ajinkya Rahane who has surrendered his orange cap to Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag.

Shane Watson, at number three, has added strength by smashing the bowlers while Ashok Menaria, Brad Hodge and Owais Shah have played their role to perfection.

The bowling has been consistent and Shaun Tait, who had to wait for a couple of games to get a chance, has been lethal in the past two matches. The reliable Sidhartha Trivedi and Watson give a settled look to bowling.

On the other hand, champions for the past two years, Chennai Super Kings have not been in prime form this season and are languishing at sixth with five victories and six defeats.

They have not been able to finish off close games and have lacked consistency.

But Chennai have enjoyed a three-day break which might have provided them with enough time to regroup and plan for their remaining four games. The fact that they are the most successful IPL team, having played in three finals and have been victorious twice, should also give them confidence.

Besides, Mahendra Singh Dhoni leads a team that boasts of several international stars who have the ability to turn games.

Their batting has a solid look on paper with Faf du Plessis and Murali Vijay at the top and the likes of Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Dhoni and S Badrinath coming down the order.

All-rounders such as Ravindra Jadeja, Albie Morkel and R Ashwin add depth to the line-up. The bowling appears strong with Ben Hilfenhaus, Morkel, Bravo, Jadeja and Ashwin.

The fact that Chennai beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets at home should also give the visitors some confidence.

The slight drizzle last night has increased the humidity which might also help the visitors.
Teams:
Chennai Super Kings (From): MS Dhoni(w/c), Michael Hussey, Murali Vijay, Suresh Raina, S Badrinath, Albie Morkel, Dwayne Bravo, George Bailey, Srikkanth Anirudha, Faf du Plessis, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, Joginder Sharma, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Vijaykumar Yo Mahesh, Abhinav Mukund, Wriddhiman Saha, Scott Styris, Sudeep Tyagi, K Vasudevadas, Ganapathi Vignesh, Doug Bollinger
Rajasthan Royals (From): Rahul Dravid(c), Stuart Binny, Johan Botha, Deepak Chahar, Dinesh Chandimal, Ankeet Chavan, Aakash Chopra, Paul Collingwood, Kevon Cooper, Aditya Dole, Samad Fallah, Faiz Fazal, Shreevats Goswami(w), Brad Hodge, Ashok Menaria, Sumit Narwal, Pankaj Singh, Amit Paunikar, Ajinkya Rahane, Abhishek Raut, Owais Shah, Pinal Shah, Amit Singh, S Sreesanth, Shaun Tait, Siddharth Trivedi, Shane Watson, Dishant Yagnik, Brad Hogg, Ajit Chandila