THE GAME:
The battle of the Southern giants in the IPL has always been a fascinating one. Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore, two teams from the southern shores of India have been the most entertaining ones in the IPL. Their personal rivalry has been enthralling for the viewers.
Over the past several seasons, the two sides have engaged in fierce, nail biting contests. The viewers would be in for a delight, when these two teams will play at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on the 22nd of May.
The men in yellow were on song, until their winning run was ceased by the Rajasthan Royals in Ahmedabad. The Super Kings were completely shattered by the Rajasthanis, especially Ajinkya Rahane, who was on song. The Super Kings would be adamant to forget that loss and come out hard against the Virat Kohli led side.
Switch to the other side, and a sorry looking RCB awaits us. The men from Bangalore have already lost 2 home games so far. Another slip up at their home could have dire consequences for them. Its high time, that Kohli and his boys get going and play the brand of cricket for which they are most adored – Aggressive cricket.
PREVIOUS CLASHES:
The first encounter between them took place on the 18th of May 2014 at the JSCA stadium in Ranchi, home for the Super Kings. The Super Kings were restricted to a below par total of just 138, thanks to some disciplined bowling. Suresh Raina batted till the end and scored 62*, but that was never going to be enough. The visitors almost made a mess of the chase, before Yuvraj Singh rescued them in the final over against David Hussey. In the end, RCB won with just one ball to spare. A nail biter to say the least!
The two teams clashed in Bangalore just 6 days later. This time, the hosts batted first, and riding on captain Kohli’s 73, they got to 154. The total was a mere joke for the Super Kings, as they chased it down in just 17.4 overs. For the Super Kings, Faf Du Plessis played a good knock of 54*, and MS Dhoni exploded from the word go and remained on 49* off just 28. Skipper Dhoni was awarded the Man of the Match for the same.
KEY PLAYERS:
AB de Villiers:
The South African ODI captain enjoys batting against the Chennai Super Kings and his numbers against them have been great. De Villiers, in just the 3 innings so far, has already showed us what destruction truly means! In his previous outing against the Mumbai Indians, he simply massacred Lasith Malinga. An 11 ball knock of 41 was the order of the day. The Super Kings better be wary of this demon, as, if he manages to stay till the end, then the Super Kings might be in for some serious trouble!
MITCHELL STARC:
In all likelihood, Starc is set to play his first game of the season after being back from an injury. Starc is the best bowler on the planet right now and there is not even an iota of doubt regarding that. He was named the Man of the Series in the World Cup. His superb bowling has demolished several batting lineups. If he gets going, then the Super Kings batters better watch out for some nasty stuff!
BRENDON McCULLUM:
It was at this very ground, where McCullum played that epic knock of 158* off 73. He certainly has some fond memories of this arena and would want to relive it in grand style. His contribution at the top will be the key for the Super Kings. All McCullum needs to do is negate Starc’s opening burst without losing his concentration. The other bowlers of the RCB have been in terrible form. McCullum surely can capitalize on that and ensure mayhem for the hosts.
R. ASHWIN:
Like another off spinner Harbhajan Singh, Ashwin also has tormented Gayle to a certain extent. Ashwin has been below par in the IPL so far and he would want to make proper amends for that. The tall off spinner was sensational in the World Cup and found a lot of assistance on Aussie decks. He must seek inspiration from that and give it his best shot for the Super Kings. The sight of Ashwin getting the new ball shouldn’t come as a surprise for viewers.
PROBABLE XI:
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE:
With Starc likely to be back, expect Rossouw to make way for him. Bisla looked good in the last game, so he should keep his place.
1. C. Gayle 2. M. Bisla 3. V. Kohli 4. D. Karthik 5. AB De Villers 6. D. Weise 7. M. Starc 8. I. Abdullah 9. V.Aaron 10. A. Ahmad/ A. Dinda 11. Y. Chahal
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS:
Dhoni is known to stick with the same team, so Irfan Pathan might have to wait for his chances for some time.
1. B. McCullum 2. D. Smith 3. S. Raina 4. F. Du Plessis 5. D. Bravo 6. MS Dhoni 7. R. Jadeja 8. R. Ashwin 9. M. Sharma 10. I. Pandey 11. A. Nehra