Is it possible for RCB to overcome the Chennai jinx?

Faf du Plessis, who is a well-known South African cricketer, had an impressive performance last month for Joburg Super Kings, leading them to the playoffs in the SA20 tournament. In four months, he will once again be playing for the Texas Super Kings, alongside coach Stephen Fleming. The two have a long history dating back to 2011, when Chennai Super Kings signed du Plessis even before he made his debut in international cricket for South Africa.

During the current IPL season, du Plessis has traded in his signature yellow attire for the red and blue of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Previously adored by fans at Chepauk, he will now lead RCB as captain for the first time in Chennai on Friday. However, his opponent for this match may not be the one du Plessis was anticipating.

Before the start of the IPL 2024 season, Ruturaj Gaikwad, who used to open with du Plessis, was declared as the new captain of CSK, taking over from MS Dhoni. This announcement was made just before the team’s training session began.

Despite the challenging odds facing RCB in Chennai, Gaikwad is determined to defend his impressive record. The last time they were able to defeat CSK at Chepauk was during the inaugural season of the IPL in 2008, when Fleming was still a player. Unfortunately, RCB has faced seven consecutive losses since then. In their most recent match in 2019, they were dismissed for a mere 70 runs in 17.1 overs. However, thanks to the efforts of Yuzvendra Chahal and Moeen Ali, RCB was able to make CSK work until the 18th over of the chase for victory.

The Rajasthan Royals now have Chahal in their team, while Moeen may face off against RCB on Friday alongside three other spinners, including Maheesh Theekshana, Ravindra Jadeja, and part-time player Rachin Ravindra, on what is expected to be a slow pitch. In contrast, RCB lacks a top-tier spinner in their squad, with only Mayank Dagar (left-arm fingerspin), Himanshu Sharma (mystery spin), Karn Sharma (legspin), and Swapnil Singh (left-arm fingerspin) as their options. It appears that RCB has focused primarily on strengthening their batting lineup for both home and away games this season.

Dhoni and Kohli make a comeback

At the age of 42, Dhoni is preparing to make a comeback after almost a year. He had to undergo knee surgery after the previous IPL season. Shivam Dube, who is known for his spin-hitting abilities, is also fit and ready to play after missing the Ranji Trophy knockouts due to an injury. However, Matheesha Pathirana, who is a specialist in death-overs, will not be able to participate in the initial stages of the 2024 IPL due to a hamstring injury.

After a two-month hiatus, Virat Kohli of RCB is set to make his comeback in competitive cricket. Having only played two T20 matches against Afghanistan in January since the last IPL, this season will serve as his preparation for the 2024 T20 World Cup in June. In his previous two innings against Afghanistan, Kohli took on a more aggressive stance, will he continue to play in the same manner for RCB?

Strategy for Toss and Impact Players

The Chennai Super Kings

Due to Dube’s recovery from injury, CSK may choose to use him solely as a batsman and select either Mukesh Choudhary or Tushar Deshpande, who was the top wicket-taker last season for their bowling line-up.

Potential batting lineup : 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Ravindra Jadeja, 8 MS Dhoni as wicket-keeper, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Maheesh Theekshana.

Probable playing XI if bowling first: 1 Ruturaj Gaikwad as captain, 2 Rachin Ravindra, 3 Ajinkya Rahane, 4 Moeen Ali, 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 MS Dhoni as wicket-keeper, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Deepak Chahar, 10 Maheesh Theekshana, 11 Either Mukesh Choudhary or Tushar Deshpande.

Bengaluru’s Royal Challengers

For the first innings, either Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, or Suyash Prabhudessai could be chosen to strengthen RCB’s batting lineup, while a spinner – Himanshu or Karn – may take their place in the second innings. Alternatively, the order could be reversed.

Potential batting lineup for the first innings: 1 Faf du Plessis as the captain, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Cameron Green, 6 One among Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, or Suyash Prabhudessai, 7 Dinesh Karthik as the wicketkeeper, 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Mayank Dagar, 10 Either Akash Deep or Vyshak Vijaykumar, 11 Mohammed Siraj.

Potential XI to bowl first: 1 Faf du Plessis as captain, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Dinesh Karthik as wicketkeeper, 7 Alzarri Joseph, 8 Mayank Dagar, 9 either Akash Deep or Vyshak Vijaykumar, 10 either Himanshu Sharma or Karn Sharma, and 11 Mohammed Siraj.

Statistics

• In the IPL, Jadeja has proven to be a formidable opponent for Glenn Maxwell, having dismissed him six times in just 51 balls and conceding 70 runs. No other bowler in the league has been able to dismiss Maxwell more times.
• In the IPL, Gaikwad has a positive track record against Alzarri Joseph (one dismissal in 25 balls, 47 runs) and Lockie Ferguson (no dismissals in 29 balls, 56 runs).
• In the IPL, Kohli is on the verge of overtaking Shikhar Dhawan (1057 runs) as the top scorer against CSK, with just 73 runs needed. However, Kohli’s performance against spin in Chennai during the powerplay has not been impressive, with only 15 runs off 23 balls and two dismissals.
• In the IPL, RCB’s spinners Dagar and Himanshu have only managed to take one wicket in four matches combined.

Factors Affecting the Pitch and Conditions

The 2024 IPL opening match is scheduled to take place on the central pitch at Chepauk, which is known for its spin-friendly conditions. This pitch is distinct from the one used during the Ranji Trophy match between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka last month, which is described as a sharp turning pitch.

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