Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to clash in the mouth-watering opening game of the Indian Premier League 2024 on Friday, March 22.
RCB will enter the game with stalwart batter Virat Kohli returning to competitive action after missing the last couple of months due to personal reasons and a new name. Eyes will be on potential debutant Cameron Green who cost the franchise INR 17.50 crore in a trade from Mumbai Indians.
CSK are set to enter this fixture with a new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad who replaced MS Dhoni a day before the opening game. Fans will be excited to see new signings Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Shardul Thakur in CSK colours for the first time.
Match Details
Match: IPL 2024, 1st T20 match
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai
Date & Time: Friday, March 22 at 8:00 PM IST (Toss at 7:30 PM)
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports, JioCinema Website and App
CSK vs RCB Probable Playing XIs
CSK probable playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Moeen Ali, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana.
RCB probable playing XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj.
CSK vs RCB Predictions
Best Batter of the Match: Faf du Plessis (RCB)
RCB captain and the former CSK player was the leading run-getter for the Bengaluru side in IPL 2023. Faf scored 730 runs in 14 innings with the help of eight fifties, including 62 runs off just 33 balls against Chennai in the league stage game in 2023. Plessis boasts an impressive record against CSK and will be looking to add another impressive knock in the 2024 opener on Friday.
Best Bowler of the Match: Deepak Chahar (CSK)
The star Chennai medium-pacer will be leading the pace attack with Shardul Thakur in the IPL 2024. He played one T20I game against Australia in December 2023, his last competitive cricket game, where he took two wickets. Chahar took 13 wickets in 10 IPL innings in the 2023 edition and is expected to be the best bowler in tomorrow's game.
Who will win the Match: Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Chennai recorded a thrilling eight-run win while defending 226 runs when both teams last clashed against each other in IPL 2023. CSK have registered four wins in their last five encounters against RCB and are tipped to win in the upcoming clash.
