🏏IPL 2025 - Match11: RR vs CSK, BC Stadium, Guwahati, 7:30 PM IST🏏

🏏IPL 2025 - Match-11: RR vs CSK, BC Stadium, Guwahati, 7:30 PM IST🏏

After getting stunned at home by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Chennai Super Kings will take on Rajasthan Royals in the second game of this Sunday's IPL 2025 double-header.

CSK lost by 50 runs at 'Fortress Chepauk' and they will look to bounce back when they take Riyan Parag-led RR.

Chennai were exposed at home by the Rajat Patidar-led RCB who's improving as a captain with every game and the game against RR couldn't have come at a better time for Ruturaj Gaikwad's men.

CSK coach Stephen Fleming appeared furious over the conditions at Chepauk, where the team typically thrives by either defending a total of 165-170 when batting first or chasing down targets of 155-160 by restricting the opposition.

Chennai Super Kings will be up for their next assignment, in Guwahati. Given how the contest at the venue played out on Wednesday, the spin-friendly surface could offer them more home comfort than the one dished out in the sultry climes of Chennai on Friday.

To make their prospects merrier, they will come up against Rajasthan Royals, a side whose bowlers were battered by Sunrisers Hyderabad and whose batters were left troubled by Kolkata Knight Riders. Going into the second game of Sunday's double-header clash, Royals will be one of only two teams in the competition yet to register a win.

In Guwahati, the ball stopped and turned a fair bit, especially in the first innings. However, while RR's stand-in skipper Riyan Parag admitted that he went on the offensive too early, he also showed the poise to remind everyone that he knows his home-surface way too well to maximise the scoring opportunities.

So far, that home familiarity hasn't stood them in much good health, with RR managing to win only one out of their five matches at the venue over the last three editions. But if Parag is confident, RR would need nothing more than the captain reviving his old form in the new season and leading the way with the bat.

CSK, on the other hand, have a different set of concerns, none more bizarre than their struggles with chasing. They have failed to win each of their last eight games where they were asked to chase down a total above 175, despite winning the toss on six of those occasions. Their strength lies in its bowling core, which could prove potent if the pitch continues to assist the slower bowlers. However, if RR are able to rack up a big total, they could seriously test CSK's batting unit.

Head to head: RR 13 - 16 CSK. Since 2020 though, RR have had the better of CSK with a 6-2 win record.

When: Sunday, March 30, 2025, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Rajasthan Royals vs Chennai Super Kings, Match 11, Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati

What to expect: There was ample turn on offer for the spinners. It was also holding on a bit. Run-scoring could be a bit difficult. However, batters who are able to settle in, especially in the second innings, will have a lot to cash in.

According to AccuWeather, the temperature in Guwahati will be around 28 degrees Celsius at the beginning of the match and will lower to 23 degrees Celsius towards the end. The humidity will be in the range of 51% to 67% during the match hours. There is a negligible possibility of rain throughout the game.

Rajasthan Royals will hope to secure their first win of the season when they host Chennai Super Kings in IPL 2025 Match 11 at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday evening. Both teams have gotten off to a patchy start in the season and find themselves reeling in the bottom half of the standings.

CSK will hope to regroup and serve a message with only a day in between from their previous encounter against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Chennai. The 50-run defeat would be stinging as it exposed several weaknesses within CSK’s batting unit. The storyboard reflects similar woes for the Rajasthan Royals too whose Indian-heavy top-order has failed to get desired runs on board during both defeats.

Team Watch:

Rajasthan Royals

Injuries/Unavailability: Sanju Samson is expected to be away from wicketkeeping and captaincy duties. No other injuries or unavailabilities have been reported

Tactics & Matchups: Expect Jofra Archer and Tushar Deshpande to be on duty against Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda. Both the batters were out to short-pitched balls vs RCB. Tripathi was also bounced out by Deepak Chahar in CSK's opening game. That was a struggle for both even during their fine run in 2022. Against short-pitched deliveries, Hooda averages 17.1 and Tripathi averages 15.14.

Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag (c), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Kumar Kartikeya/Sandeep Sharma

Chennai Super Kings

Injuries/Unavailability: No concerns for the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side on this front.

Tactics & Matchups: Quite interestingly, R Ashwin has a favourable matchup against Sanju Samson, in terms of both containing him as well as dismissing him. However, Nitish Rana has scored at a strike rate of above 186 against the office without ever getting dismissed by him in the 58-ball face-off in the IPL.

Probable XII: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), R Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana

Did you know?

CSK haven't chased down a 175-plus target in IPL since 2021

Royals have played five matches in Guwahati - all since 2023: one win, three defeats, one NR

In the two games so far this season, Ravindra Jadeja is yet to pick up a wicket

Deepak Hooda has registered a single-digit score in 13 of his 23 IPL innings since 2023

Both Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will be looking to get back to winning ways after suffering defeats in their recent matches. While RR will be eager to jump from the bottom of the points table, CSK has a lot of thinking to do after losing to RCB at the Chepauk for the first time since 2008.

RCB beat CSK by 50 runs, thus handing CSK its biggest defeat at home. While Khaleel Ahmed did extract some seam movement and even bounce from the pitch, overall, the CSK bowling lineup was no match for the bowling combination of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. In the season opener, however, CSK beat MI convincingly by 4 wickets, with opener Rachina Ravindra scoring a match-winning inning of 65 runs (not out).

RR vs CSK Best Batter

CSK might have looked shaky thus far, but Rachin Ravindra has looked solid, with scores of 41 & 65*. On a track where 170-180 ish could be par, Ravindra could prove to be the best batter.

RR vs CSK Best Bowler

A four-fer on debut, followed by a three-fer in the second game. Noor Ahmad has looked unstoppable thus far. He will bowl on a Guwahati surface that offered plenty of spin in the RR vs KKR clash. Expect him to once again shine and be the best bowler.

The first game in Guwahati between RR and KKR saw RR bat first and post just 151/9. It was chased down comfortably with KKR, who got home with 8 wickets and 15 balls to spare. There was a lot of turn, and it was well-exploited by the KKR spinners, who took 4/40 off the 8 overs they bowled. So expect a moderate-scoring game with plenty of assistance for the spinners.

There is no chance of rain in Guwahati on Sunday so we are guaranteed to get a full game. It will be a hot and humid day, however, with the temperature expected to be in the late 20s and early 30s.

Chennai Super Kings are seventh in the table with one win and a loss in two matches. They suffered a defeat against Royal Challengers Benglauru by 50 runs in the previous match as they failed to chase down a target of 196. They will be keen to bounce back.

On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have lost both their matches and have had a bad start to the season. They are reeling at the bottom of the table with a bad NRR. Royals will be looking to put up a better performance and this promises to be an exciting match.