Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will host the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai to kick off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 campaign on March 22, Friday.
CSK will be defending its title, whereas RCB remains in pursuit of the team's maiden championship win after 16 seasons of the tournament.
CSK has certain injury concerns to take care of though. New Zealand opener Devon Conway and Sri Lankan speedster Matheesha Pathirana have been ruled out of the tournament due to their respective injuries.
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Conway hurt his thumb whilst on national duty for the Kiwis, whereas Pathirana pulled up his hamstring whilst playing against Bangladesh.
For Bengaluru, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green has added reasonable strength and firepower to their batting unit. However, concerns over their bowling unit and pace bowling quality remains, though it's interesting to see the XI they line up with for the opening fixture of the season.
Predicted Playing XI
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Shardul Thakur
RCB: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Suyyash Prabhudessai, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mayank Dagar, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Siraj
Key Players to Watch Out
Rachin Ravindra (CSK)
Rachin Ravindra had a stellar ODI World Cup campaign last year (Image: AP)
Rachin Ravindra can play the perfect replacement to Conway at the top of the order. The 24-year-old averages a partly 16.46 in the 20 T20Is he has played for the Kiwis. However, his strong technique against pacers and the ability to use the long handers against spinners replace the style Conway adopts, guaranteeing a good run especially in the powerplay for the Super Kings.
Cameron Green was traded to the RCB after MI roped in Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans (Image Source: BCCI)
Cameron Green will have a point to prove after Mumbai Indians (MI) traded him to the RCB following their acquisition of Hardik Pandya from the runners-up of the previous season. Roped in for ₹17.50 crore in the auction in 2022, Green smashed 452 runs and picked six wickets in a satisfactory season for the five-time champions last year. He will hope to carry that forward to the RCB setup in a bid to help them clinch the IPL trophy for the very first time.
Pitch Report
The average first innings score at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the IPL is 164, which suggests that a competitive score will be on the cards in the match on Friday.
Where to Watch
The match will be streamed for free on the JioCinema website and application, whereas it can be accessed on TV on the Star Sports Network.
