CSK vs RCB, 1st Match: The Indian Premier League (IPL) hits its ground once again for the seventeenth time on March 22 with Chennai Super Kings locking horns against Royal Challengers Bangalore. The teams, with their rivalry on and off the field, make it one of the mouthwatering contests to watch out for in the upcoming season of the IPL. The opening fixture of the IPL 2024, CSK vs RCB will be staged at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on March 22, starting at 7:30 PM IST.
The two sides are raring to cross swords come March 22. The preparations for the clash are also underway with BCCI looking to leave no stone unturned in their preparations, just as ever.
Chennai Super Kings has successfully defended its title once in the past and will have the added responsibility of defending it again this year. The MS Dhoni-led yellow army did fairly well during the auctions as well to put up a strong bunch of players in the side. The likes of Shardul Thakur, Rachin Ravindra, Sameer Rizvi and Daryl Mitchell among others are a few celebrated players, who have joined forces with CSK this year.
On the other side, Royal Challengers Bangalore couldn’t have a fruitful outing last year. The Faf du Plessis-led army missed their chances of making it to the playoffs. This year, with some new faces and revived energies, RCB will eye fetching the IPL glory for the first time in seventeen long years.
Before the actual game begins between CSK and RCB on March 22, here let’s take a look at key players or the best 5 players to watch out for.
IPL 2024: Best 5 Players to Watch Out for during CSK vs RCB
Rachin Ravindra
The ODI World Cup 2023 starer New Zealand batter, Rachin Ravindra will be one of the key players for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) during the upcoming season of the IPL. Ravindra is likely to start the IPL 2024 as a first-choice player in the side and is expected to open the innings for CSK alongside domestic talent Ruturaj Gaikwad.
There will be a huge onus on Rachin Ravindra to not let the franchise down in the opening order as they place him as a replacement for injured Devon Conway.
Glenn Maxwell
One of the reasons why RCB couldn’t do well in the Tata IPL 2023 was due to the underwhelming performance of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. The Aussie all-rounder comes with a lot of expectations as he glues the heavy RCB top-order with a slightly weaker middle-order.
Maxwell’s role in the side becomes crucial because he ensures that the team proceeds to a good total after the openers have provided a rampaging start to the innings. The management would love to see Glenn Maxwell on his sublime touch in the IPL 2024.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli’s name has been synonymous with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for several years now. The batter has overtaken the opening department in the team and has been doing his role comprehensively for the last couple of years.
Virat hasn’t featured in a lot of T20Is lately. He was part of India’s T20I squad against Afghanistan in 2024, but his outing turned out to be rather pale. The batter would be expected to set the stage on fire once again with his fiery batting prowesses.
Sameer Rizvi
It is not so often that a debutant is anticipated to carry a lot of responsibility, but this time around, Sameer Rizvi, the INR 8.40 crore CSK buy, will have the onus to fill the shoes of Robin Uthappa. Rizvi is likely to be on CSK’s playing11 from the first game itself.
The UP batter was picked by CSK during the auction owing to his superb batting skills during the UP T20 league. The batter amassed 455 runs in 10 matches during the tournament, which includes two centuries.
Mohammad Siraj
RCB has a lot on their plate if it comes to death bowling abilities. One of the areas where RCB lacked last year was their bowling in the last four overs. The duration, which is known to be as make or break, was RCB’s Achilles heal in the IPL 2023.
Mohammad Siraj will lead the pace attack in the side and will be one of the key pacers to bowl in the death alongside Lokie Ferguson. The two will have the responsibility to restrict the opposition run-flow at the fag end of the innings.
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