CSK's loss in Sharjah made little difference to the H2H rivalry against RR, which still remains in favour of MS Dhoni's side who have won 14 of their 23 T20 meetings.
Chennai Super Kings meet Rajasthan Royals as both the sides aim to keep their chances for a playoff qualification alive in IPL 2020. Both, CSK and RR are tied at six points but CSK are ahead of RR on Net Run Rate.
The pressure is further mounted on both the sides after Kings XI Punjab registered their second-successive victory in the tournament yesterday and climbed up to sixth position in the table.
As both the sides meet in Abu Dhabi, let's take a look at the key stats ahead of the game.
Head-to-head tie: The Sharjah loss made little difference to the H2H rivalry, which still remains in favour of Chennai Super Kings who have won 14 of their 23 T20 meetings. The Sharjah win was Rajasthan's second win against CSK since both their IPL return in 2018.
At the venue: Across the two seasons that CSK have played in Abu Dhabi - 2020 and 2014 - they have lost as many as they have won in four appearances. Rajasthan, on the other hand, have a 3-2 record in Abu Dhabi, with both their defeats coming this season.
Crucial stats:
- MS Dhoni stands on the verge of being the first cricketer to appear in 200 IPL games.
- Rajasthan should consider shifting Jos Buttler back to the opening slot given that he has a strike rate of 153.6 in powerplays in T20 cricket since 2018. Overall, his strike rate as an opener in T20s during the same phase is 152.7 with 13 fifties en route to his run tally of 1298 runs.
- Abu Dhabi has witnessed three successful chases in its last three IPL games. Will CSK opt to bat second? They have lost three of their last four games chasing against the Royals in IPL, including that Sharjah defeat, but hold a 7-5 overall record against them while batting second.
- CSK have been the slowest starters with their powerplay scoring rate being 8.31, but their batting average in the middle have been the best (51.5), losing only 12 wickets in the phase so far in IPL 2020. However, their scoring rate in the middle overs (7.68) is the same as that of the Royals.
