Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) on Saturday (May 18). The 68th match of the tournament, which is also a virtual elimination game, will be played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Both RCB and CSK faced each other in the first game of the Indian Premier League and at that point no one would have thought that they would end up fighting for the fourth spot in the playoffs. Therefore, it promises to be an exciting duel as there will be a lot at stake for both teams.
For Chennai Super Kings, the equation is quite simple. All they have to do is win and then they will have 16 points and can easily qualify. But Royal Challengers Bengaluru need to win by a margin of 18 overs or reach the target of 18.1 to book their ticket to the playoffs.
Chennai Super Kings are at fourth place in the points table with 7 wins from 13 games. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are at 7th place in the points table with 6 wins from 13 games. If both share the point due to rain, CSK advances.
RCB will go into the game full of confidence. They have managed to win five games in a row and the momentum will certainly be on their side. CSK, on the other hand, defeated Rajasthan Royals in their last game and would go into the game with a lot of confidence.
The last match between RCB and CSK in the ongoing IPL 2024 went in favor of the Chennai Super Kings-led side as they dominated the opposition and sealed the match quite comfortably. But RCB have been exceptional since the last few games and would be desperate to win the sixth game outright.
IPL 2024: Who are the batting players picked by RCB and CSK for Match 68 of IPL 2024?
Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the coin toss and elected to take the field first in the game against RCB. He spoke about the chase factor at Chinnaswamy Stadium and claimed that they want to take every ball and focus on the process. He explained:
“First we bowl. The wicket looks good, conditions are cloudy and we will look to make the most of the movement in the first 2-3 overs. It looks a bit damp, but we go with great intentions. Every game in the IPL has to be won, nothing changes for us, we will take it ball by ball and try to win the small processes. We won some crucial games to stay ahead in midfield. Just one change: Moeen is not available, Santner replaces him.”
The RCB captain also spoke about his desire to play first. But he is aware that they have a lot of confidence and need to concentrate on the game. Speaking about their preparations, he said:
“We would have been at the start, but when we fought first and last we got a good result. Losing the toss isn’t ideal, but we’ve taken a lot of confidence from the last five games. The preparation is great, the last game before the knockout rounds, the scenario is well prepared and we are happy to play our last league game in front of our fans. We don’t think about it for long, we just take it as it comes and do our best.”
RCB vs CSK: Impact Players
RCB: Swapnil Singh, Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Himanshu Sharma
CSK: Shivam Dube, Sameer Rizvi, Prashanth Solanki, Shaikh Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary
RCB vs CSK: XIs play
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Ending XI): Faf du Plessis(c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(f), Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj.
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana