Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s hopes of overcoming their long-standing struggles against Chennai Super Kings rest on their experienced batting lineup when the two teams clash in the IPL on Friday.
RCB has won only once at Chepauk, back in 2008, with Virat Kohli being the only member of the current squad to witness that victory. Now, he will look to lead his side to another historic win.
However, CSK remains formidable at home, with a spin-heavy attack featuring Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Noor Ahmad. The trio excelled against Mumbai Indians, collectively picking up five wickets in 11 overs while conceding just 70 runs.
To counter CSK’s spinners, RCB’s batters, led by Kohli, must employ a mix of aggression and smart shot selection. Kohli’s improved sweep and slog-sweep techniques could be key, but he will need support from Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, and Jitesh Sharma.
RCB may also consider including Jacob Bethell for his left-arm spin option, possibly replacing Tim David. The team will assess the fitness of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who missed the previous match, and he could return in place of Rasikh Salam.
Meanwhile, CSK will hope for stronger contributions from Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, and Sam Curran to support Rachin Ravindra and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad. MS Dhoni’s late-game presence remains a potential game-changer.
CSK will also monitor the fitness of Matheesha Pathirana, who was absent against Mumbai. If he returns, Nathan Ellis may make way.
Match Details:
📍 Venue: Chepauk, Chennai
⏰ Time: 7:30 PM IST
Squads:
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rashid, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjanpreet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishnan Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.
