RCB gear up for opening leg of Southern Derby as CSK challenge looms large

RCB got off to a flier in the IPL 2025 as they stormed past KKR in the season opener. An all-round performance from the Royal Challengers saw them brush aside the Knightly challenge comfortably enough while another new chapter is all set to be rewritten.

RCB will be taking the yard for the second fixture as they lock horns with one of their biggest rivals, Chennai Super Kings. In what is termed as the Southern Derby, the Royal Challengers will be desperate to continue their winning run and bolster their grip right at the top of the points table. Despite the absence of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the opener, as reported by Dinesh Karthik, the Indian fast-bowler will be all set to take the yard against CSK.

CSK started their campaign with a resounding win against the Mumbai Indians. Noor Ahmad led the charge for the Super Kings with the ball while Rachin Ravindra was the tip of the batting spear as they crossed the finishing line without breaking a sweat. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s half-century was also a notable contribution for Chennai in their season opener against Mumbai. With all of that being said, both RCB and CSK come in with a boatload of power and will be hopeful of dishing out another roller-coaster of a game.

Venue Watch

The track in Chennai has always been a conducive one for the spinners. As the game progresses, life will be a lot easier for the batters. However, with the facility of the new ball available after the 11thover if there is ample dew, the spinners will always stand a chance of regaining that grip on the game. With the likes of Krunal Pandya and Noor Ahmad in the mix, it is going to be a fun contest.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Noor Ahmad:

Kohli started the tournament with an unbeaten half-century. More importantly, there was a notable shift in his aggression in the first game against KKR. The hard-hitting flair of Phil Salt also allowed him to time his innings to perfection. With the kind of strokeplay that Virat has up his sleeve, he is always going to be a top gun weapon for RCB. Noor Ahmad was already tipped as one of the most mysterious turners to have joined IPL this year. He has already proven a point about his incredible stature with the four-fer against MI in the opener. His gritty variations will always make him a tough play for the batters and Virat’s recent form against the turners will make this a battle to savour.

Rajat Patidar vs Ravindra Jadeja

Patidar is already known for his famed belligerence against spin. He also knitted together a crucial cameo in the curtain-raiser where he very effortlessly dominated Sunil Narine. This makes him a deadly player of spin and also a significant aggressor for RCB. Ravindra Jadeja, on the contrary, might have had a tough day in office against Mumbai Indians but he continues to be an instrumental part of CSK. His all-round flair will be another reason why RCB will have to watch out for him.

Josh Hazlewood vs Ruturaj Gaikwad

The Bendemeer Bullet was in stunning touch against KKR and disseminated his brilliance across both ends. He led the charge with the new ball and came back strongly in the death overs to finish with figures of 2/22. He would be desperate to continue his fine run against the Super Kings. Ruturaj Gaikwad had already blasted a half-century which will give him the necessary confidence when CSK goes up against the mighty Hoff.

Match detail:

Match: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Venue: M Chidambaram Stadium, Kolkata

Date: 28th March, 2025

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 33

CSK: 21

RCB: 11

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.

Chennai Super Kings:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rashid, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjanpreet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishnan Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth.