Both Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals are battling for survival in the 13th edition of IPL. The equation is simple: win the remaining five games and keep the slim hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive. The two teams, who face off in Abu Dhabi on Monday, are languishing at the bottom of the table with six defeats from nine matches and are coming off losses.
For the three-time champions, a loss on Monday might mean they will fail to make it to the top four of the table for the first time in 13 years. Chennai have remained the only team to qualify for the playoffs in all the editions. But this season, despite starting with a victory over title holder Mumbai Indians, MS Dhoni & Co have delivered mediocre performances in their matches.
They have come close to the finish line many times but have ended up at the receiving end. Apart from finding the right combination, one reason for Chennai's poor run this season is their fielding errors. Players have dropped sitters a number of times and have failed to latch on to half chances and run out opportunities. This has proved costly in many occasions including the previous match against Delhi Capitals when they seemed to have fielded a balanced XI.
Not only did they lose the game on Saturday but also their death-over specialist Dwayne Bravo due to groin injury. Coach Stephen Fleming said Bravo would miss "a few days or a couple of weeks". Chennai could look to bring back Josh Hazlewood or go for an extra spinner in Imran Tahir to find the momentum.
For Rajasthan, inconsistency of the batsmen has hurt the team. Jos Buttler has not contributed any noteworthy performances and Sanju Samson has gone quiet after the initial spark.
However, Robin Uthappa's success at the top in the last match against Royal Challengers Bangalore would give the team some confidence. Skipper Steve Smith, who batted at No 4, also indicated that he is getting back to his best with a fifty in the previous match.
A win on Monday for either of the teams will give them a chance to climb up the ladder in the standings and a push for the playoffs.