Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) are all set to lock horns in the high-octane IPL 2024 clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on May 18, Saturday. CSK, currently standing in fourth place on the points table with 14 points, can secure a playoff spot with either a win or a draw if rain interrupts the match. However, that is not the case for RCB as they must win today’s match by a specific margin to advance to the knockout stage.
Ahead of the highly-anticipated game, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan pointed out key elements to watch out for. The 39-year-old believes that the crucial battle will be between RCB’s star batter Virat Kohli and the CSK spinners. It is worth noting that Kohli’s strike rate against flamboyant all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja in the IPL has not been promising.
Who will come out on top in the biggest #Race2PlayoffsOnStar clash, #ViratKohli or #MSDhoni?
— Fantasy Khiladi (#IPL2024) (@_fantasykhiladi) May 18, 2024
📸:Star Sports #viratkohli #msdhoni #CSKvsRCB #Chinnaswamy #IPL2024 #IPLPlayoffs #mahirat #RCBvsCSK #thala #kingkohli #ViratKohli #fantasykhiladi #Bengalurupic.twitter.com/wbIvjVsejL
Kohli, the former RCB captain, has been enjoying a successful campaign since the commencement of IPL 2024. Demonstrating resilience and remarkable performance, the 35-year-old currently tops the Orange Cap list with 661 runs in 13 games, boasting an average of 66.10 and a strike rate of 155.16. Given this, the team will heavily rely on his performance in the upcoming do-or-die match against the defending champions.
Additionally, Faf du Plessis did not have a noteworthy IPL 2024, as he frequently gets dismissed despite making promising starts. The RCB captain’s record against star CSK spinner Maheesh Theekshana is also not encouraging, as the fans can expect an intriguing match-up in this contest.
For the unreversed, RCB initially had a dismal start to their campaign as they were languishing at the bottom of the points table with a solitary win in their first eight games. However, they staged a spectacular comeback winning their last five matches in a row, which propelled them to reach the seventh position. Since this surprising turnaround, Yash Dayal has emerged as their standout performer, showcasing exceptional form with the ball. Notably, his performance against the CSK batters will be another key mini-battle to watch out for in the forthcoming fixture.