RR vs CSK, 61st Match at Chennai, IPL, May 12 2024 - Live Cricket Score

Vinod Rajpal: "@Shashwat, If CSK loses today and RCB wins later in the evening vs DC, can we say that the match between CSK and RCB on 18th May would be a virtual quarter finals to enter the play offs ?" -- Not necessarily. If LSG win their remaining matches, SRH win at least one, and if the above results follow, CSK and RCB will both be eliminated.

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

RR bench: Rovman Powell, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Nandre Burger, Tanush Kotian, Keshav Maharaj

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

CSK bench: Ajinkya Rahane, Sameer Rizvi, Prashant Solanki, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary

3pm It's time for the toss. Gaikwad and Samson are out in the middle. Gaikwad gives the coin a twirl. Samson calls heads, and heads it is. Rajasthan Royals will bat first. Samson says it looks a decent wicket. No dew in a day game, and he wants to see how it goes. Adds that they have a couple of good practice sessions and they want to give it their all today. Reiterates the importance of sticking to what has been working for them, and on focussing on the controllables. Dhruv Jurel should be back, having missed the last game.

Gaikwad says he was not under much pressure to win the toss. He expects the pitch to play the same throughout. As a group, they have been speaking about the areas they need to work on, and how they execute what they want to do. Rachin will open alongside him, with Mitchell at No.3. Theekshana has also come in for Santner.

Umang: "Day game, dry pitch, long boundaries - we might see a lot of spin bowling today and both the teams have world class spinners."

Samarth: "In this Chennai heat and humidity I wouldn't want to field first. It'll just drain all the energy out. " -- The flip side to it, though, is that it might get slightly better to bat on as the temperature goes down and the sun sets.

Pitch Report: It is hot, very hot, says Pommie Mbangwa. A little bit of bias with respect to the square boundaries - 66m to one side, 70m to the other. 79m hit straight down the ground. No grass on the surface and it looks bare. With the heat, the pitch will dry out. If there is a little bit of moisture, it could be slightly tacky and sticky at the start, reckons Daren Ganga. There will be turn, as there usually is. CSK have played on this particular pitch twice this season, and scored more than 200 both times. Reading how it will play in the day and then adapting could be the key, Mbangwa concludes.

2:40pm CSK find themselves in a tricky predicament. They have not had much time to prepare (or brood over their loss to GT), having played in Ahmedabad on Friday. All that and much more, including what to expect from a day game in Chennai, in Alagappan Muthu's preview.

Vismay: "CSK has to find solution for their top order failures. It just isn't working somehow. " -- Rahane's form has not helped. They could bring in someone like Rizvi, and pair Gaikwad and Rachin at the top. But knowing CSK, they could easily give Rahane another game as well to regain his touch.

2:35pm The question on most CSK's fans lips is whether this will be MS Dhoni's last IPL game at Chepauk. If CSK fail to make the playoffs, this could well be it. But with Dhoni, who really knows…

2:30pm CSK, on an average, win five out of every seven games at Chepauk. This year, they have a 4-2 record at home. CSK also make the playoffs more often than not, having done so in 12 seasons out of 14. Both of those records, though, are under threat today. Against a side they have not beaten in their previous four attempts.

2:20pm An evergreen band that has produced countless hits, across nations, cities and seasons. This year, though, they have lacked that usual rhythm. Some of the notes have struck the right chords, but others have not.

Their chief orchestrator (from over the years) is not getting any younger, and the one anointed to take over, has not previously been thrust with such responsibility on such a stage, where one song could make or break their entire album.

Today, they return home, where they usually come up with their best solos. They will also be greeted by thousands in yellow, each longing for a happy throwback to the more successful times. For one more symphony to add to their greatest hits collection, while hoping against hope that their chief orchestrator comes back to perform one more time (at least) in front of his adoring home fans.

Up against them is a band that specialises in flexibility, and being able to produce the right tune for the right moment. This year began with several blockbusters, although over the past fortnight, they have been a little hit and miss.

Today, they have an opportunity to get their show back on track, versus a group they have trumped every time since April 2021. If they do so, their status as one of the premier bands of this season, will be reaffirmed.

Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo's live coverage of the IPL. This is the Chennai Super Kings against the Rajasthan Royals, and we are at #FortressChepauk, as CSK fans would say. The five-time champions, to avoid renting calculators and to avoid leaving things to fate, need to win today. RR, on the other hand, would want to win to avoid any last-minute hassle.

The stakes are dizzying, the prize for whoever wins perhaps greater, and the fall, especially in CSK's case, much steeper. RR have recent history and league-standing on their side; CSK, the aura of Chepauk and the uncanny knack of almost always making the playoffs.

This has all the makings of a classic and so, let's get ready to rummbbllleeeee…..