Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings, 68th Match

Saturday May 18, 2024, 7:30 PM

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings, 68th Match

 M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

HEAD TO HEAD
TotaL         : 32
CSK Won  : 21
RCB Won  : 10

A start-stop game. There is an 80% forecast for rain that is expected to hit Bengaluru CBD around match-start time. The sub-surface aeration at the stadium should facilitate a quick restart. The six games here have been split in the middle between wins for target setting and chasing teams.

RCB'final home game of the season is no longer fraught with the hopelessness that surrounded the build-up to that SRH game a month ago. Then, they were happy to finish within 25 runs of a record total. Reasons to be fearful are fewer this time with both arms to their game syncing in harmony. That CSK's batting has lost some of the zing from last year and that their bowling has lost key personnel ought to bring an added dose of optimism for RCB.

The hosts also have form on their side: they're on a five-game winning run while CSK have not won more than two in a row at any point this season. Even the recent win against Rajasthan Royals wasn't as clinical as it could have been. There were catches dropped and an opportunity to boost the NRR wasn't chased. But the win will have helped flush a particularly chastening visit to Ahmedabad. What the visitors have in troves though is big-match pedigree: CSK are chasing a 13th visit to the final-four in 15 seasons. Experience in the ranks of having been there and done that is priceless, as is the advantage of knowing that a win, of any kind, or a washout is enough. Even a small loss will do.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Yash Dayal has been excellent in the PowerPlay in Bengaluru, hitting his lengths perfectly and also finding swing. He'll be a threat to both Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top of innings. They have been dismissed five times and thrice respectively by left-arm seamers this season.

Injuries/Availability: Will Jacks and Reece Topley have returned home to begin World Cup prep and will not be available for this game. Glenn Maxwell should return to the XI

Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj [Impact Sub: Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yash Dayal]

Chennai Super Kings

Ravindra Jadeja has excellent match-ups with three of RCB's key batters. He has dismissed Maxwell six times while also accounting for Kohli and Karthik three times each

Injuries/Availability: Matheesha Pathirana and Deepak Chahar are unavailable due to hamstring injuries while Mustafizur Rahman and Moeen Ali have left for international commitments

Probable XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Mitchell Santner/Richard Gleeson, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana [Impact Sub: Sameer Rizvi]