The 17th edition of the 2024 Tata Indian Premier League is set to witness a fascinating encounter between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and five-time IPL winners Chennai Super Kings in match number 68. This match will truly be a knockout one as both sides will battle it out against each other for the final playoff spot.
Reigning champions Chennai Super Kings have a slight advantage as they are currently sitting at the fourth position in the overall standings with 14 points and a healthy Net Run Rate of +0.528. The Men in Yellow need a win or a single point in the upcoming game to qualify for the playoffs. RCB on the other hand ranked Sixth in the points table with 12 points and a lower Net Run Rate of +0.387 but a win with a high margin against the Chennai-based team will Faf Du Plessis’s men to qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs.
Both the franchises are entering into this game on the back of some dominating victories and the Men in Blue and Red are on a five-match winning streak in the league phase. But, when these two teams met each other in the opening game of IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad and company easily won that match by six wickets. Bengaluru will be looking to take revenge for the opening game’s defeat, but only if the Rain Gods opt to show some mercy to the match at Bengaluru. Ahead of this really exciting encounter between RCB and CSK, let’s take a look at three-player battles that are going to be worth watching out for.
RCB vs CSK: Three player battles to watch out for
- Ravindra Jadeja vs Glenn Maxwell
The battle between Jadeja and Maxwell will be an interesting one in the match. Maxwell has not had a good IPL this season since the beginning of the tournament but RCB’s management and fans will be looking to give his best in this do-or-die encounter against Chennai. The Bengaluru-based team will be desperate for runs from the bat of Glenn Maxwell, especially in the absence of explosive batter Will Jacks.
However, things won’t be easy for the RCB all-rounder as Chennai will use Ravindra Jadeja to counter Maxwell’s threat. Maxi’s record is not that good against Jaddu in the IPL as in 51 balls, the 35-year-old has been dismissed six times and he has batted at below par strike rate of 137.25. The stats clearly show the upper hand that Ravindra Jadeja has against Glenn Maxwell and he has been performing well with the ball for CSK this season.
- Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Mohammad Siraj
Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had yet another fabulous season with the bat for the five-time IPL champions, scoring 583 runs in 13 games at a brilliant strike rate of 141.50. He mainly plays the role of anchoring the inning at the top of the order for the Men in Yellow and helps his side post a competitive total on the board. The Chennai skipper will be looking to have a good outing with the bat against Bengaluru and the Faf Du Plessis-led team will want to dismiss him as soon as possible.
Siraj opens the bowling for the Bengaluru-based team and Faf will be handing the bowl to him to get the crucial wicket of Gaikwad. The Speedster didn’t have a good start to the current edition of the Indian Premier League but he has rediscovered his lost mojo in recent games. In 47 deliveries, Ruturaj Gaikwad has managed to score just 63 runs and he has been dismissed once by Siraj as well. Siraj with his ability to swing the ball will be looking to provide the ideal start to his team by dismissing Gaikwad early on in the innings.
- Tushar Deshpande vs Faf Du Plessis
Royal Challengers Bengaluru skipper Faf Du Plessis has had a decent IPL 2024 campaign so far with the bat. He has managed to provide good starts in the last few games but he hasn’t converted those starts into some big innings. RCB’s Southern rivals CSK are well – aware of the threat posed by their former opener and they also know how to stop Faf.
Right-arm seamer Tushar Deshpande is having yet another good IPL season this year and he will be looking to perform well in CSK’s final league match against RCB. Tushar is Ruturaj Gaikwad’s go-to bowler for providing crucial breakthroughs and the 29-year-old will be given the task of providing an early breakthrough by getting the wicket of Bengaluru’s captain. But, Faf has a good record against Deshpande in the IPL as, in 25 balls, the South African has scored runs at a huge strike rate of 184.0 without getting dismissals even once against the CSK fast bowler. The battle between Faf and Tushar will be one to watch out for and it remains to be seen which player will end up finishing out on top in this player battle.
CHECK: RCB vs CSK Strongest Playing 11s, Dream11 Prediction, Updated Squads, Head-to-Head Stats and More
