Mumbai: In a clash of titans, the two teams, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) occupying the first two positions of the IPL 2021 points table will lock horns on Sunday at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Both clubs have made a great start to their IPL 2021 season, with CSK clinching a win in three out of their four games while RCB winning all four. The clubs will aim to secure a win in this game to gain some much-needed impetus as they shift to a new stadium.
CSK led by MS Dhoni comes here after an 18-run win against KKR, albeit with a nervy ending. After getting put into bat, Faf Du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad batted beautifully to put on a 115-run opening stand. Ruturaj was back in gear from three failures with a stellar knock against KKR while Faf du Plessis will provide experience. A decent start will help their cause and with an in-form Moeen Ali positioned in at No.3 and Suresh Raina to follow, CSK has the ability to hit big in the death overs. Skipper MS Dhoni is yet to come to his original form but coach Stephen Fleming believes he would get better with every match.
Coming to the bowling department, Deepak Chahar is having his dream form in the ongoing IPL, spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Moeen Ali have also made their presence with the bowl. Shardul Thakur has proved expensive at times while Lungi Ngidi and Sam Curran give good support in the bowling lineup.
Talking about the Virat Kohli-led RCB, the club considered as underdogs, has started the season well. Skipper Kohli will be aware of the importance of maintaining the winning streak. The RCB batting appears to be top heavy guns and is reliable on Virat Kohli, South African legend AB de Villiers and Australian power-hitter Glenn Maxwell.
One good news for Bangalore side club is Devdutt Padikkal's is back. However, the RCB batting unit will front up to Deepak Chahar, who is known for his ability to bag wickets early. The RCB bowling has done pretty decent job with Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson being impressive. However, Yuzvendra Chahal’s form is worry for RCB, hope he gets better today against formidable CSK.
Both teams look to be in great form and the result of this game will have a bearing on the points table. Expect a thrilling encounter for the last time at the iconic Wankhede this season.
PROBABLE XI
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf Du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, MS Dhoni (C and WK), Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar
RCB: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Washington Sundar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Kyle Jamieson, Kane Richardson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj
