Picking a combined RR-CSK playing 11 with impact sub ahead of IPL 2025 clash ft. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sanju Samson

The Rajasthan Royals (RR) host the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Sunday, March 30, in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash. The Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati is the venue for this game.

RR began their campaign with a 44-run loss against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). They lost their next match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by eight wickets.

On the other hand, CSK beat Mumbai Indians (MI) by four wickets in their first game of the season. However, they crashed to a 50-over loss against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their next game.

With Rajasthan in search of their first win of the season and Chennai looking to bounce back, this is set to be an exciting clash. That said, let us take a look at a combined playing 11 with players from both teams of their IPL 2025 clash.

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Combined RR-CSK playing 11 with impact sub ahead of IPL 2025 clash

Openers - Rachin Ravindra & Sanju Samson

2025 IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad v Rajasthan Royals - Source: Getty

CSK opener Rachin Ravindra has been their highest run-scorer in the tournament so far, with 106 runs from two games. He scored an unbeaten 65 in the first game against MI and then scored 41 runs against RCB. Ravindra has been in good form and will open the batting in this team.

With him at the top will be RR's Sanju Samson. Samson began the tournament with an impressive performance, scoring a 37-ball 66 at a strike-rate of 178.38 against SRH. However, in their next match against Kolkata, he managed to score just 13 runs off 11 deliveries.

Rachin and Samson can form a formidable opening pair, with the two batters complementing each other.

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Middle Order - Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Shivam Dube, Dhruv Jurel (WK), & Shimron Hetmyer

IPL - Rajasthan Royals v Chennai Super Kings - Source: Getty

CSK skipper and batter Ruturaj Gaikwad comes in at three. Gaikwad slammed a quickfire 26-ball 53 at a strike-rate of 203.85 against the Mumbai Indians. While Gaikwad failed to score against RCB, he is a key player in the top order. He will also lead this side.

His CSK teammate and hard-hitter Shivam Dube follows him. Dube has failed to get going in IPL 2025 so far. However, his ability to hit sixes, especially in the middle against spin, makes him a vital asset in the middle order.

RR wicketkeeper-batter Dhruv Jurel will don the gloves in this team as well. Jurel played a brilliant knock against SRH, slamming a 35-ball 70 at a strike-rate of 200. He also scored an important 33 against KKR. Jurel adds to the stability of the batting in the middle.

Shimron Hetmyer comes next in this line-up. The RR batter is known for his explosive batting at the backend of the innings. He slammed a 23-ball 42 against SRH and can play the role of a finisher.

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All-rounders - Ravindra Jadeja & Wanindu Hasaranga

IPL 2023: Qualifier 1 - Gujarat Titans v Chennai Super Kings - Source: Getty

Veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja brings much-needed balance to this team. While he has not picked up a single wicket so far this season, he scored 25 runs with a few boundaries against RCB. Despite his form, Jadeja is a crucial player in this 11.

RR leg spinner Wanindu Hasaranga is the other all-rounder in this team. Hasaranga did not play the first game against Hyderabad but played against Kolkata. He failed with the bat and picked up just one wicket. However, on his day, Hasaranga can pick up crucial wickets in the middle overs and also tonk a few hits down the order with the bat.

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Bowlers - Khaleel Ahmed, Tushar Deshpande & Noor Ahmad

CSK pacer Khaleel Ahmed has been impressive with the ball in the two games so far. He has picked up four wickets from two games at an average of 14.25 at an economy rate of 7.12. His ability to swing the ball and scalp wickets in the powerplay makes him key to the bowling line-up.

RR pacer Tushar Deshpande bagged three wickets against Hyderabad in the first game. In the next game, he bowled just one over but gave away only seven runs. He could be an ideal partner with Khaleel upfront.

Wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad has been a sensation for CSK so far in this IPL. He has already bagged seven wickets from two games at an average of 7.71 and an economy rate of 6.75.

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Impact Sub - Sandeep Sharma

RR pacer Sandeep Sharma is the impact sub player in this team. He brings immense experience of having played in the IPL and has the ability to bowl well with the new ball and at the death as well.