CSK vs RR Highlights, IPL 2023: Dhoni's late surge in vain as Rajasthan beat Chennai by 3 runs

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Kuldeep Sen, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Chennai Super Kings: Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w/c), Sisanda Magala, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Singh

Moeen Ali returns to CSK playing XI. Dwaine Pretorius and Mitchell Santner misses out. Maheesh Theekshana also included in XI.

Trent Boult unavailable due to niggle, confirms Sanju Samson at toss.

Chennai Super Kings skipper MS Dhoni wins toss, opts to bowl

Ruturaj Gaikwad has been in incredible form and the team will hope for another strong start from him and Devon Conway. 

Gaikwad is third in the Orang Cap race and would look to reclaim the honours. He has scored 189 runs from three outings.

Ajinkya Rahane stood on team's expectations and played a key role in Chennai's handsome win over Mumbai Indians in the previous encounter. The discarded India star smashed 61 off 27 balls and is much likely to stay in the playing XI even if Moeen Ali returns. 

CSK endured a major injury blow as Deepak Chahar limped off the field last during their match against Mumbai Indians with a hamstring injury.

The seamer has already been troubled with injuries in the past year and was making a proper comeback in the tournament. 

However, looking at the current scenario his participation further in the tournament looks grim.

Moeen missed the last match due to food poisoning and is expected to play against RR. 

If Ben Stokes still hasn't regained fitness, Dwaine Pretorius can fill in as an like-for-like replacement, although Stokes appears to be the better than the two on paper.

Chennai Super Kings' trioka Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja and Mitchell Santner will play a key role at Chepauk and it shouldn't come as a surprise if the three also complete their full quotas.

The three have accounted for 11 wickets in three matches and has bowled at an economy of just over six.

Rajasthan Royals have so far enjoyed batting at a flat track in Guwahati, and a single away fixture in another batting friendly wicket in Hyderabad. 

However, the conditions in Chennai is way different as it is reputed for assisting spinners and seamers can trouble the batters with slower ones.

If we shift our focus to opposite camp, Rajasthan Royals are happy with the fact that their top-order is in solid form. 

Jos ‘The Boss’ Buttler is leading the run tally with 152 from three outings and is followed by Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has 125 from the same number of appearances. 

Shimron Hetmyer has been done the job perfectly finishing the innings. Hetmyer is third in the list and the inclusion of Sanju Samson and Dhruv Jurel makes this a strong batting unit.

“Hopefully, we win and we give him (MS Dhoni) a gift on his 200th (IPL) match as captain.” - Ravindra Jadeja as quoted by the CSK's official website in a media interaction ahead of the match.

Apart from his captaincy, Dhoni is also a highly-accomplished batter. He has amassed 5,004 runs in IPL at an average touching almost 40 at a strike-rate of over 135. He also has 24 half-centuries under his name.

While Dhoni has shown no intention of stepping down although he recently warned his bowlers to get disciplined or find a new captain. The statement by Dhoni came after CSK's win against Lucknow Super Giants. 

Frustrated by the number of extras his bowlers conceded in the form of wides and no-balls, Dhoni during the post-match presentation said: “They’ll have to bowl no no-balls and less wides. We are bowling too many extra deliveries and need to cut them out otherwise you’ll be playing under a new captain.”

In a shocking move, Dhoni relinquished from captaincy in the previous edition passing the duties to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. 

However, the decision completely backfired as Jadeja failed to produce results and stepped down from the helm midway during the season.

Dhoni was then once again appointed as the CSK skipper.  

Dhoni, who has led India to three major ICC trophies, is the most consistent skipper in IPL history. Under his leadership CSK has won four IPL titles (2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 editions). 

Apart from that, Dhoni has led CSK to the final four stage in 11 out of 13 editions, with the side finishing as runners-up on five occasions.

In the 199 matches, Dhoni has led CSK to 120 wins and lost 78, while one failed to produce a result. His win percentage with CSK as skipper is 60.30 per cent.

Meanwhile, if we look at his overall IPL tally, Dhoni has captained on 213 occasions in IPL, out of which he has won 125 matches, lost 87.

MS Dhoni will be completing a huge milestone in the IPL 2023 match between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. 

The contest will mark his 200th appearance as CSK skipper.

Chennai Super Kings are heading into the contest on the back of an impressive win against Mumbai Indians. Batting first Chennai restricted Mumbai for 157/8 and then chased down the total in 18.1 overs to win the match by seven wickets.

Rajasthan Royals also head into the match on the back of an emphatic 57-run victory over Delhi Capitals. Riding on some fantastic knock by Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer, Rajasthan piled 199/4 on the board. Delhi could only manage 142/9 in response.

It's match No.17 in IPL 2023. MS Dhoni's experience and wealth of knowledge against Sanju Samson's flare as the Chennai Super Kings take on Rajasthan Royals at the Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.