CSK face RCB in IPL 2024 opener: Preview and stats
Chennai Super Kings face Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Ahead of the mega blockbuster, CSK on Thursday announced Ruturaj Gaikwad as their captain for the 2024 season, with MS Dhoni stepping down. It will be a huge test for Gaikwad. Here are further details.
Here's the H2H record
As per ESPNcricinfo, the two teams have met on 31 occasions. CSK have won 20 matches with RCB pocketing 10 wins. One match ended without a result. In IPL 2023, the two teams met once as CSK beat RCB by eight runs.
Pitch report and match details
The surface at Chepauk displays wear and tear. Spinners will enjoy bowling and the pacers will look to provide variations to gain maximum impetus. As far as batters are concerned, they will have to score runs from the relatively low bounce. The match will start at 8:00pm. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on JioCinema.
Gaikwad has replaced Dhoni
Gaikwad replaced Dhoni as the captain of CSK. Dhoni, who led CSK to five IPL titles, stepped down from the role for the second time. He passed the baton to Ravindra Jadeja in 2022 before reclaiming it midway through the season. Overall, Dhoni led in 226 IPL matches, winning 133 times and losing on 91 occasions. Notably, two matches didn't have a result.
Matheesha Pathirana to miss start of IPL 2024
In a blow to CSK, pacer Matheesha Pathirana will miss the start of the 2024 IPL season due to a hamstring injury. The young Sri Lankan bowler suffered the injury during the 2nd T20I against Bangladesh in Sylhet earlier this month. He could not complete his his spell. Pathirana has been undergoing rehabilitation with the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) physio.
RCB rely on their big guns for fireworks
RCB couldn't quite address holes at the IPL 2024 auction in December and remain short in bowling. Once again, the franchise will heavily rely on Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli for the runs. Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green are the side's trump cards. With the ball, pacer Mohammed Siraj holds key. RCB have a weak spin attack as well.
Probable XIs of CSK and RCB
CSK probable XI: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mukesh Choudhary, Maheesh Theekshana. RCB probable XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyashak, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma.
Kohli eyes these milestones
Kohli owns 11,994 runs in the 20-over format and is six shy of 12,000. He averages 41.21 (SR: 133.42). Kohli is also one fifty-plus score away from a milestone of 100. He owns 99 fifty-plus scores. He has 57 fifty-plus scores in the premier competition. Kohli is also 15 shy of 1,000 runs versus CSK. He owns 985 runs at 37.88 (SR: 125.47).