Picking a combined CSK-RR playing 11 for IPL 2024 ft. Sanju Samson and Ruturaj Gaikwad

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set to host the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 61 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 on Sunday (May 12). Both teams will be vying for an all-important playoff spot.

CSK have secured six victories in 12 games and are placed fourth in the points table. They are coming into this game after a 35-run loss against the Gujarat Titans. The Super Kings ended up conceding 231 and could only manage 196 in response.

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led side needs to win their remaining two games to make a case for the playoffs.

On the other hand, RR have one foot in the playoffs with eight wins in 12 appearances. However, they have lost their last two games, and will look to get back to winning ways. In their last outing, the Royals gave away 221 runs against Delhi Capitals, and then fell short by 20 runs. The Sanju Samson-led team will need another win to confirm their top-2 spot in the standings.

On that note, let's look at the combined CSK-RR playing XI for the crucial IPL 2024 game.

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Top-order: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Ruturaj Gaikwad

Rajasthan openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler will start the proceedings for this combined team as well. Jaiswal has garnered 320 runs at a strike rate of 157.63, while Buttler has 338 runs to his name at 146.95. Both batters have scored a hundred as well.

Ruturaj Gaikwad bats at No. 3 for this combined team due to his ability to contribute at any position. Gaikwad is the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament with 541 runs in 12 innings, and a top score of 108*.

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Middle-order: Sanju Samson (c&wk), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja

Sanju Samson is certainly having his best-ever IPL season in terms of his mature performance as a batter and impressive leadership skills. He ranks fifth on the batting charts with 471 runs at a prolific strike rate of 163.54, and will serve as a captain and keeper for this team.

Riyan Parag is currently through his breakthrough season, where he has converted his starts into big knocks. The youngster has amassed 436 runs at a strike rate of 156.27, with a top score of 84*.

With his sensational hitting, Shivam Dube has helped CSK in crunch key moments this season. The southpaw has garnered 371 runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 170.12, with a top knock of 66*.

Ravindra Jadeja is a key player in this line-up due to his all-round skills. He has scored 220 runs and picked up eight wickets in 12 appearances.

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Bowlers: Yuzvendra Chahal, Tushar Deshpande, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma

Although Yuzvendra Chahal has conceded runs at an economy of 9.90, he has the uncanny ability to secure consistent breakthroughs for the side. Chahal has bagged 14 wickets in 11 games, with the best figures of 3/11.

Tushar Deshpande is the Chennai Super Kings' finest bowler with 14 scalps in 11 games, and 4/27 being best performance.

Trent Boult will be the key bowler in the powerplay overs, due to his supreme track record with the new ball. In this season, he has picked up 11 wickets in as many games at an economy of 8.28.

Sandeep Sharma has been terrific with his variations and wicket-taking abilities. He has taken 10 wickets in six games, with top figures of 5/18.