Match 24 --RCB vs CSK
We are going to see the heaving mélange of red and yellow and witness Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni share a cricket field together.⭐️⭐️ These two sides have played 30 times, but the 31st is heightened by the possibility of it being this pair's last meeting as two active cricketers!!
Head to Head: RCB 10 - 19 CSK. While RCB won the last encounter between the sides, four of the last five clashes have gone CSK's way.
Team Watch:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB's Indian middle-order that is missing Rajat Patidar have managed a best score of 26 (Lomror) in the four games so far and that adds to the pressure on their 'Big 3' and also forced them into a panic Impact Substitute move in the last game, of getting Anuj Rawat in when they would have otherwise beefed up their bowling ahead of a target defence. Thankfully for them, however, even with that change they have enough of a bowling depth to go around.
Tactics & Matchups:
RCB have been the best bowling side (CSK are the worst) in the PowerPlays this season with Mohammed Siraj in particular conceding at just 4.7RPO and taking three wickets across 10 PowerPlay overs. He has never dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad over 36 balls in the IPL but with both men in equally good form, the winner of their battle could set up how the rest of the game develops.
Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, Mohammed Siraj, Vyshak Vijaykumar
Chennai Super Kings
CSK will have at least one enforced change from their last game with Sisanda Magala out with a split webbing. Both Dwaine Pretorius and Matheesha Pathirana bowled in the nets on the eve of the game with the latter having just recovered from a bout of Covid.
Tactics & Matchups:
Ravindra Jadeja will be a big match-up factor against both Kohli and Maxwell. Jadeja has dismissed the latter six times in 40 balls in the IPL. He has dismissed Kohli thrice and conceded at only 106.87 to the former RCB captain. In fact, the game could be decided in the middle overs. CSK have the best record here in IPL 2023, their spinners having taken 12 wickets while going at just 6.85 in this phase. Even historically, this has been a strong point of Dhoni's team in these clashes. For example, since 2018, their spinners have taken 36 RCB wickets at an economy of 6.42. As if to encapsulate this factor, RCB have lost 14 wickets to spin this season, behind only laggards Delhi Capitals in this metric.
Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu/Akash Singh, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Dwaine Pretorius/Matheesh Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande
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