Pretoria: The Chennai Super Kings, after two defeats in their last three Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, brace up for a tough battle against the defending champions Rajasthan Royals Thursday.

While the Royals, who were also struggling till recently, got their campaign back on track by snapping the Delhi DareDevils’ unbeaten run with a five-wicket triumph Tuesday, just one win in five matches has left the Super Kings third from bottom in the points table. Tuesday’s win took the Royals to fourth in the standings and gave a new lease of life to their title hopes.

Batting had let them down in all their defeats but with Yusuf Pathan and Graeme Smith finally striking form, the Royals’ bowlers can now look forward to being complemented by their batsmen.

Last year’s runners-up Chennai, on the other hand, are in a mess and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has already hinted at changes to the playing XI.

Dhoni’s own form has been nothing to write home about. The India captain, rated as one of the best skippers in international cricket right now, has been a flop with the bat so far with just 79 runs in four matches. (PTI)