Having lost eight out of their 11 matches so far, Chennai Super Kings will be desperate to get one back when they take on an in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League at Dubai on Sunday.
CSK, with six points from 11 games, still have a theoretical chance to make it to the playoffs, provided they do not lose any of their remaining three games, improve their net run-rate and all other match results go their way.
The three-time IPL winners have struggled in all departments of the game, leading to criticism towards skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni for not showing enough faith in the youngsters.
CSK brought in young Ruturaj Gaikwad and Narayan Jagadeesan against Mumbai Indians but both batsmen perished without opening their account.
The Super Kings batsmen were rocked by Trent Boult and Jasprit Bumrah’s devastating pace-bowling, slipping to 21/5 inside the powerplay. Their bowlers also failed to make an impact as they suffered its first-ever 10-wicket defeat on Friday.
Sam Curran’s half century was the only saving grace for CSK. With 173 runs and 10 wickets in 11 games, the England all-rounder has had an impressive season.
“We have to make the most of the next three games and it is good preparation for the next year. Identify the batsmen, who will bowl at the death and hopefully the players will soak up the pressure,” Dhoni said after the loss to MI.
RCB results in IPL 2020
| Match | Day/Date/Time | Venue | Result | Total points for season |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRH vs RCB | 21 Sep, Mon (1930) | Dubai | RCB won by 10 runs | 2 |
| KXIP vs RCB | 24 Sep, Thu (1930) | Dubai | RCB lost by 97 runs | 2 |
| RCB vs MI | 28 Sep, Mon (1930) | Dubai | RCB won Super Over after a tied match | 4 |
| RCB vs RR | 3 Oct, Sat (1530) | Abu Dhabi | RCB won by 8 wickets | 6 |
| RCB vs DC | 5 Oct, Mon (1930) | Dubai | RCB lost by 59 runs | 6 |
| CSK vs RCB | 10 Oct, Sat (1930) | Dubai | RCB won by 37 runs | 8 |
| RCB vs KKR | 12 Oct, Mon (1930) | Sharjah | RCB won by 82 runs | 10 |
| RCB vs KXIP | 15 Oct, Thu (1930) | Sharjah | RCB lost by 8 wickets | 10 |
| RR vs RCB | 17 Oct, Sat (1530) | Dubai | RCB won by 7 wickets | 12 |
| KKR vs RCB | 21 Oct, Wed (1930) | Abu Dhabi | RCB won by 8 wickets | 14 |
CSK results in IPL 2020
| Match | Day/Date/Time | Venue | Result | Total points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MI vs CSK | 19 Sep, Sat (1930) | Abu Dhabi | CSK won by 5 wickets | 2 |
| RR vs CSK | 22 Sep, Tue (1930) | Sharjah | CSK lost by 16 runs | 2 |
| CSK vs DC | 25 Sep, Fri (1930) | Dubai | CSK lost by 44 runs | 2 |
| CSK vs SRH | 2 Oct, Fri (1930) | Dubai | CSK lost by 7 runs | 2 |
| KXIP vs CSK | 4 Oct, Sun (1930) | Dubai | CSK won by 10 wickets | 4 |
| KKR vs CSK | 7 Oct, Wed (1930) | Abu Dhabi | CSK lost by 10 runs | 4 |
| CSK vs RCB | 10 Oct, Sat (1930) | Dubai | CSK lost by 37 runs | 4 |
| SRH vs CSK | 13 Oct, Tue (1930) | Dubai | CSK won by 20 runs | 6 |
| DC vs CSK | 17 Oct, Sat (1930) | Sharjah | CSK lost by 5 wickets | 6 |
| CSK vs RR | 19 Oct, Mon (1930) | Abu Dhabi | CSK lost by 7 wickets | 6 |
| CSK vs MI | 23 Oct, Fri (1930) | Sharjah | CSK lost by 10 wickets | 6 |
They run into a RCB squad which has grown in confidence as the tournament has progressed. Virat Kohli and his men are placed third on the points table with 14 points, the same as the table toppers MI and Delhi Capitals.
They will aim to grab the two points on offer, while also trying to improve their net run-rate, which could play a vital role in deciding the top two teams heading to the playoffs.
RCB are coming on the back of two morale-boosting victories against Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders respectively.
While AB de Villiers single-handedly fetched them the win against the Royals, pacer Mohammed Siraj tormented KKR by bowling a sensational spell, including a double-wicket maiden, in the eight-wicket victory over the two-time champions.
The pace trio of Chris Morris, Isuru Udana and Navdeep Saini have done well for the team, while spinners Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal have also proved effective.
RCB’s strong batting line-up led by captain Kohli has also lived up to the billing. Young opener Devdutt Padikkal has looked in good touch, while de Villiers has been a key player.
The two teams’ last game against each other was also on this ground, with RCB inflicting a 37-run defeat on CSK.
Head-to-head
| Mat | RCB win | CSK win | NR | RCB win% | CSK win% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RCB vs CSK | 25 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 36 | 60 |
| Batsmen | Bowlers | All-rounders | Wicketkeeper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Yuzvendra Chahal | Moeen Ali | Parthiv Patel |
| AB de Villiers | Mohammed Siraj | Pawan Negi | Shahbaz Ahmed |
| Gurkeerat Mann | Umesh Yadav | Shivam Dube | Joshua Philippe |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Navdeep Saini | Washington Sundar | |
| Aaron Finch | Adam Zampa | Christopher Morris | |
| Dale Steyn | Isuru Udana | ||
| Pavan Deshpande |
CSK squad
| Batsmen | Bowlers | All-rounders | Wicketkeepers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruturaj Gaikwad | Lungi Ngidi | Dwayne Bravo | MS Dhoni |
| Faf du Plessis | Deepak Chahar | Ravindra Jadeja | N Jagadeesan |
| Shane Watson | Karn Sharma | Mitchell Santner | |
| Ambati Rayudu | Imran Tahir | Sam Curran | |
| M Vijay | Shardul Thakur | ||
| Kedar Jadhav | Monu Kumar | ||
| KM Asif | |||
| R. Sai Kishore | |||
| Piyush Chawla | |||
| Josh Hazlewood |
Match starts at 3.30 pm IST and will be live on Star Sports network / Disney+ Hotstar
(With PTI inputs)