Chennai Super Kings have won their last three games, Rajasthan Royals have suffered back-to-back losses. It’s obvious then which of the two teams carries the momentum and is better placed going into Friday’s clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur.

The Royals, for sure, would want to return to their winning ways as early as possible, as another defeat may see them slip below the top four in the standings. In their previous two losses, it was mainly the holes in their batting that made matters complicated for the Royals.

The home team needs to get their batting order right and ensure that their power hitters are sent ahead of the star players, particularly during the closing overs. However, if Jos Buttler clicks at the top, the Royals will then have little to worry about.

Kicking his IPL campaign off with three half-centuries in the first four matches, Buttler’s form appears to have dipped a little bit. In his last three innings, the England limited-overs captain tallies just 40 runs, including two ducks.

That’s not really something expected of someone of Buttler’s stature, especially as he has dominated white-ball cricket. However, with the Super Kings being thin in terms of their pace attack, it does provide Buttler with an opportunity to cash in on the Powerplay, which could put greater pressure on the visiting team’s spinners.

Having said that, in what’s “the last phase” of his career, captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni too must be having tricks up his sleeve to extend Buttler’s lean patch and keep the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Royals skipper Sanju Samson and finisher Shimron Hetmyer quiet.

Not having to do much with the bat as he has usually come out lower down the order, Dhoni’s guile has certainly been a factor for the Super Kings in their five victories so far in this IPL.

Besides, with the Jaipur pitch usually on the slower side, Ravindra Jadeja and Sri Lankan Maheesh Theekshana could well trouble the Royals batters with their spin. So could Moeen Ali, while it also remains to be seen if the Super Kings include left-armer Mitchell Santner to bolster their spin attack.

What augurs well for CSK, though, is the firepower in their batting. Four successive 50-plus scores make opener Devon Conway a massive threat to any opposition while Ajinkya Rahane, at No.3, has been a revelation with his classical strokeplay.

Then there’s Moeen, Shivam Dube, Jadeja and of course, Dhoni himself.