RCB vs CSK IPL Stats at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. (Photo source: X/IPL)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will host an already eliminated Chennai Super Kings in Match No. 52 of . RCB are in pole position to make the playoffs and will look to use this game as an opportunity to solidify their chances.
RCB are currently on a three-match winning streak, while CSK are on a three-match losing streak. In their last game, RCB came out on the right side of a tense encounter with DC in Delhi. Abhishek Porel at the start and Tristan Stubbs at the end were explosive, but DC's middle order was too slow. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma constricted the bowlers, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar took important wickets at the death to keep DC to a paltry 162.
RCB started positively enough, but were soon in trouble. Axar Patel got the better of both Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal in the same over. Rajat Patidar was run out soon after and RCB were tottering at 20/3. Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya then came together to keep wickets in check and give the innings stability. The start was a little scratchy, and when the required rate was increasing, Pandya started finding the fence regularly. Eventually, RCB cruised home as both Kohli and Pandya made fifties and Tim David finished things off with more than an over to spare.
CSK's last game - at home against PBKS - was as much a mess as it could have been. Amidst a flurry of wickets and not so fast scoring rates, CSK's No. 3 defied both those norms with a crucial 88. CSK looked like they were headed for a strong finish, but Yuzvendra Chahal took 4 wickets, including a hat-trick, in the penultimate over to send CSK spiralling.
Prabhsimran Singh then took the attack to bowlers with the right support from Priyansh Arya. PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer too made a fifty just like Singh to leave the result a formality. Towards the end though, PBKS lost a flurry of wickets and it stalled their victory until the very last over.
This fixture will also be a repeat fixture. RCB had comprehensively gotten the better of the Yellow Army at their own den in Chepauk during the reverse fixture. Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal got crucial starts, despite Virat Kohli having a tough time. Rajat Patidar then rode his luck to make a crucial fifty after a middle order collapse engineered by Noor Ahmad. Tim David's finishing touch eventually gave the Bengaluru-based franchise a par total.
Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood struck twice in the second over of the chase, and that was enough to spell doom for CSK. No batter other than Rachin Ravindra could make a meaningful contribution, as Hazlewood found the ideal support in Yash Dayal, and Liam Livingstone. MS Dhoni hit some boundaries in the last over but the game was beyond lost by that point.
IPL Stats & Records at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, BengaluruThe stadium hasn't been as flat as anybody has come to remember it. In four matches so far, only once has a first innings total of over 200 been put up here this season.
| Matches Played | 98 |
| Matches Won Batting First | 42 |
| Matches Won Batting Second | 52 |
| Matches With No Result | 04 |
| Matches Tied | 01 |
| Average First Innings Score | 177 |
| Highest Team Total | 287 |
| Highest Total Successfully Chased | 213 |
Khaleel Ahmed (Source: R.SATISH BABU/AFP via Getty Images)
Salt has been blowing hot and cold this season, while has been CSK's most consistent bowler. So far in the IPL, Salt has made 50 runs in 31 balls at a strike rate of 161.29 without ever being dismissed by Khaleel. Speaking of the pacer's form this season, he has taken 14 wickets in 10 games so far, and is a serious contender to dismiss Salt on Saturday.
2. MS Dhoni vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar
MS Dhoni (Source: Indianarrative)
Bhuvneshwar has been a consistent weapon for RCB at the death this season with the ball, but has managed to come out on top every time these two have faced each other in the IPL. In 57 balls, Dhoni has scored 94 runs against the Meerut-born without ever being dismissed at a strike rate of 164.91. The veteran pacer's death bowling prowess, however, makes his clash with Dhoni a one to watch out for at the Chinnaswamy field.
