It’s time for the South Indian derby, one of the most awaited fixtures of IPL 2021. High flying Chennai Super Kings take on arch-rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah.
Overview
It is a wake-up call for Bangalore - despite being 3rd on the table, the Royal Challengers still need a minimum of 3 wins out of their remaining 6 matches if they have to qualify for the play-off’s this season. The Chennai Super Kings are on the right track after a horrendous season. Sharjah is considered to be a bowler’s graveyard, and the short bounders don’t much help. CSK played 3 matches at Sharjah last season and lost all 3, whereas RCB has won 1 out of the 3 games they played at Sharjah.
Stats that Matter
Harshal Patel has dismissed Faf du Plessis and Ambati Rayudu 6 times in 49 deliveries with a strike rate below 85.
Virat Kohli has pounded Dwayne Bravo for 151 runs in 98 deliveries without getting out.
MS Dhoni has scored 824 runs against RCB at a strike rate of 141.50
Virat Kohli is 66 runs short of becoming the fifth batter to score 10,000 runs in T20 cricket.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB needs some stability in the middles overs, along with some Gun Powder in the bowling attack. Tim David’s inclusion might solve the batting problem; at number 6, David did an excellent job for St. Lucia Kings during the Carrebian Premier League. Kyle Jamieson can make a way out for Tim David, and Navdeep Saini can provide RCB a few extra yards in the bowling unit.
Chennai Super Kings
Sam Curran has completed his mandatory quarantine period and is available for selection. Either Faf du Plessis or Josh Hazelwood is expected to make way for Sam Curran. Curran has also opened the innings in the past. Glenn Maxwell has struggled against left-arm spinners, and Ravindra Jadeja has dismissed Maxwell 5 times in 36 balls.
Match Details, Pitch Report & Toss
Match No 35: Indian Premier League
Match: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs. Chennai Super Kings
Date & Time: 24th September 2021, Thursday – 7:30 PM IST
Live Telecast: Star Sports Network and Disney+ Hotstar
The wicket has been an absolute batting paradise in the past, and we anticipate no exceptions today. 210 is a par score on this ground and the chasing sides have enjoyed most of the success in the recent past. The Captain winning the toss will again opt to bowl.
Clean Hitters
Royal Challengers Bangalore: AB de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal, and Glenn Maxwell
Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, and Ambati Rayudu
Death Over Specialists
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Harshal Patel and Mohammed Siraj
Chennai Super Kings: Sam Curran and Dwayne Bravo
5 Must-Have players in your fantasy team
Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Ambati Rayudu and AB de Villiers
Fantasy League Disclaimer: All our selections are based on in-depth and astute analysis of the players partaking in the match, pitch report and a perusal of other reasoning. Please incorporate a slew of factors while crafting your own side with this article serving as a guide to the match and players. Pictures used in this post are the courtesy of the respective official Instagram handles of teams and players and are for representational purposes only.