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The battle between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and five-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M Chinaswammy Stadium in Bengaluru is set to be a cracker of a contest, with both teams bringing contrasting approaches to powerplay, plenty of star power, fan banter and exciting match ups.
Superstars like Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Sanju Samson, and Ruturaj Gaikwad will be among the players in focus during the massively anticipated Southern Derby. The focus will be on CSK's young brigade, which has been left reeling after two successive losses in a row. -Virat's towering presence against CSK The veteran batter looks imperious as an ODI-exclusive superstar for Team India. Coming into the tournament after an impressive ODI run, he peeled off 69* in 38 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the campaign opener. The two-time Orange Cap holder would be licking his lips looking at the prospect of facing CSK, being the highest-ever run-getter against them in IPL history with 1,146 runs in 34 innings at an average of 38.20 and a strike rate of over 127, with 10 fifties to his name. His record against CSK this decade has been strong, with 399 runs in 11 innings at an average of 39.90, with a strike rate of 135.25, including four fifties and best score of 90*. Against CSK in Bengaluru, Virat has made 389 runs in 11 innings at an average of 38.90, with a strike rate of 149.04, including four fifties. -Bhuvneshwar stands on cusp of history The pacer is just one wicket away from becoming the second bowler and overall first pacer to have 200 IPL wickets. He has a fine record against Sanju Samson, who has not had a bright start as a CSK player, getting two single-digit scores. The RCB pacer has dismissed him four times in 19 innings and has let him score only 120 runs at an average of 30 and a SR of 126.31, as per ESPNCricinfo. However, Gaikwad has been much better against Bhuvneshwar, scoring 69 in 48 balls against him without a dismissal. -Contrasting powerplay approaches Since IPL 2025, CSK have been powerplay laggards, with a run-rate of 8.70, the lowest among all teams. On the other hand, RCB have been second-best with a 9.94 run rate in the powerplay. -RCB's improving record against CSK CSK have been on the receiving end of RCB's wrath and brilliance as of late, with RCB's record improving to 13-21 on the back of three successive wins since the must-win contest to qualify for the 2024 edition playoffs. This decade, CSK and RCB have been neck to neck, with CSK leading narrowly by 6-5. Squads: Chennai Super Kings Squad: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton, Rahul Chahar, Matthew Short, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh, Akeal Hosein, MS Dhoni, Shreyas Gopal, Spencer Johnson, Mukesh Choudhary, Urvil Patel, Aman Khan, Dewald Brevis, Zakary Foulkes Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer, Josh Hazlewood, Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Jordan Cox, Swapnil Singh, Satvik Deswal. (ANI)
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