Former South African cricketer Graeme Smith has reckoned that inaugural Indian Premier League (IPL) champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) would be aiming to give their best in their last league game of the season against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) as it will help them finish in the top two of the points table.
The Sanju Samson-led side has played brilliantly in the most exciting IPL season and a win tonight will put them in the second spot on the leaderboard.
Talking about RR’s strategy against CSK – who were the second team to be eliminated from IPL 2022 – Smith claimed the men in pink and blue should look to put up a comprehensive show against the four-time champions.
Speaking on ‘CRICKET LIVE’ on Star Sports, Smith said: “Jos Buttler should look to get another big knock under the belt. We’ve all talked about the importance of finishing in the top two and giving yourself an extra chance of playing in the knockouts. So that will be key for Rajasthan as well. They’ve played good cricket, they’ve found the form. Hetmyer is back after the birth of his first child so that’s a positive.”
“They would just be hoping that they click in all the departments against CSK. The top two will need to give them a good start,” he added.
Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh also claimed that Rajasthan Royals have a golden opportunity to finish in the top two with a win over CSK and they will be disappointed if they lost this game.
Speaking on ‘CRICKET LIVE’ on Star Sports, Harbhajan said: “It is a golden chance for Rajasthan Royals to finish in the top two and give them an extra shot at fighting for the trophy. Beating Chennai Super Kings is never easy for any team but Royals will be disappointed if they fail to win as they’ll lose the opportunity.”
The Royals are currenty placed third in the points table with 16 points in their kitty and another win could see them finish second in the ten-team standings. As of now, RR have won eight of their 13 games and have lost the remaining five.
On the other hand, MS Dhoni-led CSK is already out of the race to the playoffs as they had a season to forget after they managed to win just four out of their 13 games and they would now aim to finish the season on a winning note.