IPL 2021 Preview: RCB look to move on from horrendous past show against accoutred CSK
The Royal Challengers Bangalore will be up against Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah on Friday. RCB are coming into this game after suffering a thumping defeat at the hands of Kolkata where they were first bundled out for 92 in 19 overs and then the Knight Riders chased down the target by 9 wickets. Andre Russell and Varun Chakravarthy were among the wickets for the side after they picked up a three-for apiece while Sunil Narine kept things in control with some economical bowling. Chennai Super Kings on the other hand, began the second half of the tournament in an impeccable manner with a convincing 20-run win over Mumbai Indians. The Super Kings had some early hiccups after they were reduced to 24/4 but Ruturaj Gaikwad’s responsible knock of 88* off 58 and a late surge from Dwayne Bravo who chipped in with an 8-ball 23 got the side back on track. Later, the bowlers did the job and restricted MI to 136/8 in 20 overs to etch a victory. CSK would be riding high on confidence especially after the way Gaikwad, Bravo and the bowlers performed in the last encounter. But the script doesn’t just end here. The MS Dhoni-led team thoroughly dominated RCB in the last respective clash between the two sides in IPL 2021 in Mumbai, courtesy some brilliant all-round show from Ravindra Jadeja. The left-hander first struck an unbeaten 62 off 28 and then picked three wickets at the cost of 13 runs in 4 overs. To add to RCB’s misery, Jadeja was involved in Dan Christain’s run out. RCB captain Kohli had then said, “One guy completely beat us.” The right-hander might have just laughed it off then but that dominating performance from Jadeja would still be fresh in his and the team’s mind. Match Details RCB vs CSK, IPL 2021, Match 35 Date and Time: 24th September 2021, 7:30 PM IST Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah Well equipped CSK The Chennai Super Kings are probably one of the most stable and equipped sides in the competition at the moment and an instance of this was visible in the match against MI where despite having a dismal start, the Super Kings got back on track and eventually won the game. Ruturaj Gaikwad showed his class with the bat while Ravindra Jadeja stayed at the crease with him and provided the much-needed resistance that the side needed in that particular phase. Later, Bravo scored some runs quickly and then returned with three wickets at a good and impressive economy rate. Moreover, CSK might feel that they have an upper hand against the likes of Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers who were cleaned up by Jadeja in the last fixture when the two sides met. If the bowlers are able to repeat the same feat against these two batters, it will certainly rip apart RCB’s middle-order. RCB’s horrors of the past The Royal Challengers Bangalore had roped in Glenn Maxwell ahead of this season’s IPL to strengthen the middle-order alongside AB de Villiers and he has been pretty successful in doing so barring a few occasions. But one of those “a few” instances came against CSK in the first half itself where the two batsmen failed to provide the resistance to the side. Moreover, Maxwell’s struggle against the spinner during the KKR match has been exposed where the right-hander was not able to score runs while also lost his wicket due to lack of patience. So, Jadeja who has the ability to continuously bowl wicket-to-wicket can once again trouble him. Apart from Maxwell, RCB need the skipper Kohli to go all guns blazing in this encounter. Sharjah might have something on offer for the batsmen in the later stage of the game and the captain has a great chance to get back in the groove. Pitch Report Sharjah has generally witnessed some high-scoring games in the past and another high-voltage drama can be expected when RCB will be up against CSK. Both the teams have some brutal strikers of the cricket ball. The swing bowlers might get some help in the initial part of the match. Nevertheless, the batsmen just need to get their eye in and then accelerate as the run-scoring would be easy as the batters can target the shorter boundaries. So, if you win the toss, elect to field first. Team News RCB: The Royal Challengers Bangalore would need to stick to basics and concentrate on stitching partnerships in the middle overs. In the last game too, Devdutt Padikkal and Srikar Bharat tried to steady the ship for the side despite suffering an early breakthrough. But Padikkal’s dismissal saw a flurry of wickets in quick succession. The middle-order especially Maxwell and ABD need to be among runs as they had done in the first leg to keep the momentum going for RCB. CSK: The Chennai Super Kings too have the same cause of concern and that is the middle-order. Just like RCB, the Super Kings’ middle order failed to fire when it needed the most. But Faf du Plessis is coming into this competition after having a decent run in the CPL recently while Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni also have the ability to chip in with a few quick runs as and when required. All-rounder Sam Curran missed the CSK-MI fixture as there were protocols that those coming from the UK have to stay in isolation for 6 days. The left-handed player might be available for this encounter against RCB. Interestingly, Curran was the one who scalped Kohli’s wicket in the last match when the two sides faced each other. Probable XI RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Sachin Baby, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson CSK: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur and Ravindra Jadeja Fantasy XI AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Glenn Maxwell, Moeen Ali (VC), Sam Curran (C), Wanindu Hasaranga, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shardul Thakur and Mohammed Siraj
 "Abhishek Singh")
