Chennai push for semi-final berth

Match facts

Saturday, May 24, 2008
Start time 16.00 (local), 10.30 (GMT)

The Big Picture

The equation for the Chennai Super Kings to enter the semi-finals is simple - they need to win one of their last two league matches. Winning against the top-placed Rajasthan Royals won't be an easy proposition, but Chennai can nudge into the semi-finals if they can repeat what fellow contenders Mumbai Indians and Delhi Daredevils have managed earlier in the tournament.

Rajasthan have entered the final four but don't expect them to take it easy. Their intentions were made clear by captain and coach Shane Warne, who, after their latest triumph against the Kolkata Knight Riders, said he hoped the "Rajasthan Express keeps rolling."

The confidence stems from on-field performances by a host of players. Shane Watson has been consistent with bat and ball; Warne and Sohail Tanvir have taken 14 wickets each. Yusuf Pathan and Swapnil Asnodkar have delivered against more fancied opponents, while Graeme Smith has been difficult to dislodge at the top.

Chennai's main area of concern going into the match will be the state of their batting. In their previous match they wasted a confident start given by Stephen Fleming and Parthiv Patel, collapsing from 60 for no loss to 112 all out to hand the Bangalore Royal Challengers a rare victory. To avoid another such mishap, they will need their captain, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, to be at his aggressive best with the bat and to display the calm he brings to the job while leading India. Their chances will also depend on the batting of S Badrinath and Suresh Raina as well as the all-round capabilities of Albie Morkel.

The weather may also play a part in the contest, with the possibility of showers later in the evening.

Tournament position

Rajasthan Royals: P11, W9, L2, NRR +0.950
Chennai Super Kings: P12, W7, L5, NRR -0.209

Form (last five matches, most recent first)

Rajasthan Royals: WWWWL
Chennai Super Kings: LWLWW

Watch out for ...

The swing and seam of the deceptive Tanvir. Remember, he decimated Chennai when they last met, taking figures of 6 for 14, the all-time best in Twenty20 cricket.

Team news

Warne, in the pre-match press conference, said Rajasthan might rest some players and experiment with the batting order. Rajasthan will want to preserve Watson, their prized asset, for the knockout games and the person likely to take his place is Younis Khan, who has returned from Pakistan. Smith is also in line for a break; if Kamran Akmal is drafted in his place, fellow wicketkeeper Mahesh Rawat may make way for Dinesh Salunkhe.

Rajasthan (probable): 1 Graeme Smith/Kamran Akmal 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Mohammad Kaif, 4 Shane Watson/Younis Khan, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Shane Warne (capt), 8 Sohail Tanvir, 9 Mahesh Rawat/Dinesh Salunkhe, 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Munaf Patel.

Chennai have a golden opportunity to qualify for the semi-finals and it's unlikely there will be any changes in their XI. Their bowlers cannot be blamed for their loss two days ago, so they are almost certain to retain their places.

Chennai (probable): 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Stephen Fleming, 3 Mahendra Singh Dhoni (capt), 4 Suresh Raina, 5 S Badrinath, 6 Albie Morkel, 7 S Vidyut, 8 Manpreet Gony, 9 L Balaji, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Muttiah Muralitharan.

"I don't want to leave anything for our last game against the Deccan Chargers; we would like to beat Rajasthan Royals here on Saturday and qualify for the semi-finals."
Mahendra Singh Dhoni stresses on the importance of tommorow's game.

"We now have the opportunity to try out different players and assign them different roles, but of course, we would like to maintain our momentum which is very important. If we get to the final, then it will be five games in nine days."
Shane Warne on a probable hectic schedule for his side.