25 April, 2021
Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Will CSK gift RCB its first defeat?

CSK, the ever-favourites to win the coveted IPL trophy, is all set to take on RCB, the (surprising) leader of the points tally at the end of Round 1, on Sunday (25th April) in what is billed as a high-octane clash between the long-serving former and incumbent captains of Team India.

RCB's dream-run

RCB, which has always possessed plenty of talent but hadn't delivered as expected, is now leading the points tally which ought to be a very good and genuine feeling to the team as well as its millions of supporters. RCB started the tournament in a gem of a fashion by defeating defending champions MI in the inaugural encounter. It has since carried on the momentum by overcoming SRH, KKR and RR. It’s clinical 10-wicket decimation of RR yesterday speaks volumes of its batting might.

Bowlers deliver

RCB’s bowling unit comprising the ever-improving Siraj, Harshal Patel, Chahal, Sundar, Aussie Richardson and Kiwi Jamieson has been delivering consistently, which has helped the team to contain its opponents to a gettable total or bowl them out. A team which has the '3600 player' like de Villiers shouldn’t bother much while chasing totals; with its bowling and fielding, RCB appears to be a serious title contender.

CSK's woes

CSK started its campaign on a wrong note by losing to DC but has since won three matches on the trot against PBKS, RR and KKR. Despite scoring 220 against KKR, Chennai couldn’t win the match convincingly as KKR made a valiant bid despite losing half-the side within the power-play. This exposed CSK’s bowling resources, with Sam Curran and Thakur going for plenty of runs. Even Jadeja took a beating. CSK has to address this habit of leaking runs in the ‘death’ overs which may hurt when it matters most in the upcoming matches.

Ruturaj, du Plessis and Moeen have been hitting it well for CSK but Raina, MSD and Rayudu have to find their form if CSK is to make a bit to win its fourth title. Besides rediscovering their own batting form, these seniors would also help the team members to focus better on the task ahead.

Most probably, both CSK and RCB are likely to play with the same combination as they may not want to disturb their ‘winning combinations’. Whatever happens on Sunday in Mumbai (where RCB plays its first match in the ongoing IPL), it is sure to be a nail-biter!

Expected XI:

CSK: Ruturaj, du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MSD, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Shadrul Thakur and Deepak Chahar

RCB: Kohli, Padikkal, Shabaz Ahmed, Maxwell, de Villiers, Sundar, Kylie Jamieson, Richardson, Harshal Patel, Siraj and Chahal