It’s all to play for when Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings go up against each other in Match 68 of the 2024 Indian Premier League season at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday evening.
It promises to be a blockbuster contest with a playoff spot up for grabs. Five-time champions, CSK have reached the playoffs in all IPL editions they have played except on two occasions. On the other hand, RCB would be desperate to end its trophy drought, especially after mounting an unrealistic comeback in the midst of the season.
What has happened so far?
The equation for CSK is pretty simple with a win here earning themselves a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs. Chennai are placed third on the table with 14 points and has a healthy net run rate of 0.528, which can get them through even with a narrow defeat.
RCB, on the other hand, needs to win by 18 runs while batting first or in 18.1 overs while chasing. They have 12 points with an NRR of 0.387, and if they do not win by the required margin, they will need Sunrisers Hyderabad to lose their remaining two games.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have made a remarkable comeback in the tournament after losing seven of their first eight games. The Faf du Plessis-led side has won five games on the trot, most recently defeating Delhi Capitals by 47 runs after posting 187 runs on the board and bowlers delivering a strong performance.
Chennai Super Kings have had a mixed season but remain in the race with seven wins in 13 games. They are coming off a five-wicket victory against Rajasthan Royals, where they chased down 142 runs with the captain Ruturaj Gaikwad remaining unbeaten on 42 runs.
Head to Head Record
The head-to-head record between these two is heavily lopsided with Chennai Super Kings dominating the scoreline. The two teams have met each other 33 times, with CSK winning 22 matches and RCB coming out on top only 10 instances.
CSK also have the recent record in their favor, winning six out of the last seven encounters. RCB has momentum on their side but taking on their nemesis could be a tough challenge in a must-win clash.
Key Players
Rajat Patidar’s form has played a big role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s turnaround
Rajat Patidar (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): Rajat Patidar had a poor first half of the season but eventually found his mojo and played a crucial role for RCB in the middle overs.
Patidar has scored 320 runs in the tournament at an excellent strike rate of 179.77 while averaging 29.09 and has registered five half-centuries in his last seven innings. Patidar provides immense value to the side due to his spin-hitting abilities, having smashed 182 runs against spin this season at a strike rate of 224.69.
Ruturaj Gaikwad (Chennai Super Kings): Ruturaj Gaikwad is the second leading run-scorer in IPL 2024, having scored 583 runs at an average of 58.3 and a strike rate of 141.50.
The CSK skipper has hit one century and four half-centuries in the competition and played a patient knock of 42 runs in a tricky chase against Rajasthan Royals. Gaikwad is brilliant at changing gears once set, having made 189 runs in 114 deliveries in overs 12-20 in this IPL edition.
Team News from Both Camps
England players have left IPL 2024 to join up with the national side ahead of the T20 World Cup, which means RCB will not have the services of Will Jacks and Reece Topley. Jacks was a key asset for them in their turnaround but they will now have to rely on Glenn Maxwell for the last phase of the season.
CSK is missing the services of three top seamers as Deepak Chahar and Matheesha Pathirana have been ruled out due to injuries while Mustafizur Rahman has joined the Bangladesh camp which completed the 5-match T20I series against Zimbabwe and will now be travelling to America to face the USA ahead of the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
Predicted XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis ©, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad ©, Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh
Prediction
Given the high stakes of this game, you can expect a tough fight from both teams when they meet at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The head-to-head record is heavily in favor of CSK but RCB has been in magnificent form. The Bengaluru-based franchise will be slightly depleted in this match without Jacks whereas CSK will hope to choke the opponents with their spin attack.