Rajasthan Royals (RR) won the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and since then they have never managed to even reach the final. However, they will be playing their opening game of IPL 2020 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in-game number four of IPL 2020 at Sharjah on Tuesday, September 22.

RR will be playing their first game while CSK has already defeated Mumbai Indians (MI) in their opening encounter with a rather professional show. They would certainly be high on confidence, especially after facing some serious issues ahead of the commencement of the tournament. 

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The Rajasthan Royals (RR) did not have a great time in the IPL 2019 as they finished second from the bottom. They will be looking to change their fortunes in the ongoing season. They have been dealt with a big blow owing to the unavailability of Ben Stokes, at least for the first few games. Furthermore, his teammate Jos Buttler will also miss the first game as he has been undergoing an extended quarantine as per the rules since he has come with his family.

As the two sides prepare for a thrilling encounter, here’s a look at three key player battles to keep an eye on.

#1. Steve Smith vs Lungi Ngidi

In the absence of Buttler and Stokes, RR skipper Steve Smith will be playing a crucial role. He has consistently done well in IPL in recent times as he had amassed 472 runs with three fifties in 2017 and 319 runs, in 2019 against with the help of three fifties. This season he will have to be at his very best for the RR to do better.

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Smith’s battle with South African fast bowler Lungi Ngidi could be an interesting one as the latter has been known for troubling one of the best of batsmen. Ngidi would be confident after his three-wicket show against Mumbai Indians. Smith has been troubled by England fast bowler Jofra Archer in the recent past. That should be on Ngidi’s mind when he will be bowling to Smith.

#2. Ambati Rayudu vs Shreyas Gopal

With every match-winning innings that Ambati Rayudu plays, he manages to witness a increase in is fanbase. He played a mature hand in Chennai’s win over Mumbai, finding his groove en route to his 48-ball 71. Rayudu has settled in nicely as one of the key figures in Chennai’s batting line-up that features some veterans like Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis. He will most-liekley to face a stern challenge from the RR leg-spinner, Shreyas Gopal. 

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The leg-spinner had a wonderful 2019 season, when he scalped as many as 20 wickets at a strike-rate of 14.40, which featured a hat-trick against RCB as well. With his bag of tricks, Gopal has often been seen troubling some stalwarts like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Most definitely, he would be looking forward to taking on the likes of Rayudu.

#3. MS Dhoni vs Jofra Archer

An attacking batsman against a fiery fast bowler makes for an intriguing contest. And CSK skipper, MS Dhoni is among the most aggressive batsmen on the T20 circuit. He was a force to reckons with in the last edition when he amassed 416 runs as the strike-rate of 134.62. Even if Miller spends only a couple of overs at the crease, he can make the most of it. 

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 But, the contest is like a double-edged sword. While fast bowlers has also been seen leaking runs in IPL 2020, they also have the capability of making batsmen look embarrassingly bad if they get their line and length right. Jofra Archer is nothing short of one of the most fearsome fast bowlers in IPl he has scalped 26 wickets in 21 matches at a strike rate of 18.88. He has performed against the best in the business and has made his mark with his guile.