Southern Derby kicks off IPL 2024 as RCB lock horns with CSK

The wait is finally over as IPL 2024 kicks off with the Southern Derby that would witness Royal Challengers Bengaluru go head-to-head against the mighty reigning champions, Chennai Super Kings in the latter’s backyard. As the two powerhouses come face-to-face, both the teams will be hopeful of a victorious start to their campaign.

RCB crashed out of the group stages in the last edition of the tournament after bowing out to Gujarat Titans in their final league game while Chennai Super Kings went on to defy the Titans in a dramatic finish to the summit clash to clinch their fifth crown.

This humdinger rivalry will have quite a few personal clashes defining that as well as the likes of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni, Faf du Plessis, Ravindra Jadeja and other stars of the sport reigning supreme at MA Chidambaram Stadium. No matter the history and the numbers, expect a blockbuster to unfurl ahead of you.

Venue Watch

Ideally, MA Chidambaram offers significant assistance to the batters and as the day progresses further with the dew coming in, batting will be a lot easier. However, going by the antiquity of the surface, spinners get additional help unless dew makes its footfall.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Faf du Plessis vs Deepak Chahar:

The RCB skipper will certainly be an instrumental force for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as they take the yard against the mighty Super Kings. He finished as the highest run-scorer for RCB in the last year’s edition while he was also the second highest run getter in the entire tournament. Deepak Chahar has had his fair share of injury troubles but with the ability to move to ball both ways, he will pose a challenge to the RCB captain.

Virat Kohli vs Ravindra Jadeja

Virat Kohli was in menacing touch in the last edition of the tournament and finished things off with an electric century. With a new season commencing, he will be hoping to continue his red-hot form and lead the RCB batting unit. Ravindra Jadeja is one all-rounder whom you simply cannot keep out of the game. Known for his all-round flair and his razor-sharp incision on the field, this rivalry certainly sets the tone right enough for this exciting clash.

Mohammed Siraj vs Ruturaj Gaikwad

Siraj will obviously be the backbone of the RCB bowling unit and will be hoping to leave a lasting impact like the last year where the Indian ace quick raged through the defences of countless batters. Gaikwad is the new captain of Chennai Super Kings and can provide a mean start in the powerplay. This clash between Siraj and Gaikwad can be a game-changing one, especially in context of the powerplay.

Match details:

Match: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Date: 22nd March, 2024

Time: 8:00 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 31

RCB: 10

CSK: 20

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.

Chennai Super Kings:

Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly.