Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain MS Dhoni could be tempted to test his bench strength and also give his seniors a bit of rest from the heat against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 on Saturday. Having already qualified for the playoffs, Dhoni may looks towards Sam Curran as a replacement for Dwayne Bravo, who has had his share of niggles from the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) earlier this year. CSK have had a fantastic tournament so far with nine wins in 11 games. The game could well be tipped in CSK’s favour on paper, but Dhoni will expect nothing less than a win to keep the momentum going.Here are the players we feel might play for CSK in their IPL 2021 clash against RR:Ruturaj Gaikwad: After Shane Watson’s departure, Ruturaj Gaikwad has stepped up as an opener and made this position his own. So far, he has scored 407 runs in 11 matches.Faf du Plessis: Du Plessis has also been in fine touch and along-with Gaikwad, has helped CSK get off to flyers in crunch games.Moeen Ali: Ali has performed well in patches but Dhoni has backed the all-rounder to the fullest, giving him a top slot while batting and even during bowling.Suresh Raina: Raina still remains a crucial link between the top and the lower-order and Dhoni has used him well so far. However, with only 157 runs in 11 matches, Raina is yet to regain form.Ambati Rayudu: Rayudu is another batter who forms the backbone of this CSK side. His versatility in the batting department comes in handy for Dhoni for tactical decisions.MS Dhoni: Dhoni hasn’t had the best of IPL this season with the bat, scoring only 66 runs in 11 matches. But that hasn’t stopped him from leading CSK from the front with nine wins. He finished the match with a six against SRH and that must have added to his confidence.Ravindra Jadeja: Jadeja’s batting improvement has been a big boon for CSK along with his incredible fielding and bowling abilities. The all-rounder has scored 179 runs and taken eight wickets so far.Sam Curran: Curran is someone Dhoni has put a lot of faith into and expects the Englishman to come good in tough situations.Shardul Thakur: Whatever Thakur has touched, has yielded results. He has successfully carried his good form from the international arena to IPL in fine fashion.PromotedDeepak Chahar: Chahar hasn’t bowled badly considering the lack of assistance to pacers in these testing conditions. Still, the pacer has claimed 11 wickets in 11 matches and has the trust of Dhoni.Josh Hazlewood: Hazlewood is someone Dhoni can look up to considering his good showing in the last couple of matches. So far, he has six wickets in four games.Topics mentioned in this article
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