IPL 2021 | Blitzpools Prediction, Fantasy XI Tips & Probable XI for Chennai's clash against Bangalore

ByBlitz, SportsCafe Editor

04/24/2021

Not many would have imagined that these two sides - RCB and CSK, will be lying at the top of the table after the first few encounters, this year. But Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni, two giants of the game, have led their sides brilliantly, and the heavyweights will clash against each other on April 25.

After enduring their worst season yet, last year, the Super Kings made some pretty decent additions to their side in the auctions, and finally, everything has fallen in place for them. In what has been a supreme team effort, the MS Dhoni-led side, have conquered the Wankhede challenge emphatically, against expectations. For the Reds, it has been a dream start, as they have been the only undefeated side in the tournament. In the bowling department, they have punched above their weight and have strung together some match-winning performances. Not to forget, their batting, which has been bolstered by the inclusion of Glenn Maxwell, and has come off consistently, for a change.

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Form Guide

Chennai Super Kings - W W W L

When the IPL was brought back to India, the first thing that struck the Super Kings' fans was the fact that they will finally get to play on the slower Chepauk surfaces again to change their fortunes, this year. However, all the teams were compelled to play at neutral venues, and despite that, the fact that CSK have won three games out of four is simply phenomenal. After the loss against Delhi, their bowling has stepped up to the plate, with Deepak Chahar at the forefront of it, besides some handy contributions from one and all. If there were any doubts regarding their batting, that's also gone out of the window with the way they batted to score a mammoth 220 in the last game against the Knights.

Royal Challengers Bangalore - W W W W

No one would have imagined that RCB would have a gun bowling unit one day, but there might be a dearth of world-class names in their ranks but not performances. Their last game, which was staged at the Wankhede, was supposed to be an acid test of their bowling attack, but there too, they passed with flying colours. As far as batting goes, the Chennai leg had become all about the great Maxwell-de Villiers show, but with emphatic returns from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikal against the Royals, now their batting looks full-proof and would require some taking to silence. All in all, they look an excellent all-round side at the moment.

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Head to Head

Total - 26

CSK - 16

RCB - 9

No Result - 1

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore- Last Meeting

As poor as the last season was for the Super Kings, their last meeting with the Reds, witnessed a complete performance from them. It was an encounter where CSK's spinners Mitchell Santner, Imran Tahir and Ravindra Jadeja had choked Bangalore's batsmen, and stalwarts, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers had emerged rather clueless with their slow-batting. To top it off, Chennai had batted with a lot of chutzpah as Ruturaj Gaikwad smashed a match-winning 65 and helped the Super Kings triumph Kohli's men with utmost ease to make the world take notice of him.

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore - Probable Playing XI

CSK - Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Lungi Ngidi, Deepak Chahar

RCB - Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Shahbaz Ahmed/Mohammed Azharuddeen, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washington Sundar, Kyle Jamieson, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal