Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial Indian Premier League match. Both teams have started their campaign with a win and will aim to build on their positive momentum. The match is a repeat of last season’s dramatic encounter, where RCB secured a playoff spot at CSK’s expense. Chepauk’s spin-friendly pitch makes Rajat Patidar’s role vital, as the RCB captain holds the best strike rate against spin in his team.
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CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad said the pitch looks better than the last game, and the team is prepared to chase any total. "We have better plans for dew. We want to be more aggressive in the field and clinical in our batting," he said. CSK made one change, bringing in Matheesha Pathirana for Nathan Ellis.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar admitted he would have bowled first but does not expect the toss to play a major role. "The pitch is hard. We want to post a big total and keep them under pressure," he said. He praised the team’s bowling and opening pair from the last game and announced one change, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar replacing Rasikh Salam.
Playing XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal.
