IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals opt to bat first against Chennai Super Kings

Chennai: Rajasthan Royals (RR) have won toss and opted to bat first against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in match 61 of the IPL 2024 here at the M A Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.

The only change for the host CSK is Maheesh Theekshana coming in for Mitchell Santner. For RR, Dhurv Jurel will be coming back into the side after missing the last game.

"We would like to bat first. Looks like a decent wicket, don't expect any dew. Change of conditions and weather, got time to adapt to it. Need to give it all in this game. Need to stick to what has worked for us. Need to do our basic processes, just taking care of the controllables. Need to perform as a batsman, results have to go your way to feel happy," RR skipper Sanju Samson said at the toss.

On the other hand, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said, "Dew is not a factor, doesn't matter if we bat or ball first. The pitch will remain the same throughout the game. In these conditions you need to prepare mentally. We spoke about the areas we need to improve. You need to be in a good head space and deliver what's expected.

"We got the right balance, Rachin and I will open, Mitchell will bat at number 3. Theekshana comes in for Santner. Need to believe and back yourself. We want to win every game possible, you got to have the right mindset."

Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana

Impact Subs: Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Subs: Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj