Follow UsWhen you think of the CSK-RCB rivalry, you think of moments. Not normal moments, but meme-worthy moments that get etched in the mind forever.
That Virat Kohli over vs Albie Morkel.
That RP Singh no-ball.
That Corey Anderson over in 2018.
The 70 all-out in the opening game of the 2019 season.
Ravindra Jadeja taking 37 runs off Harshal Patel.
By now, something must have become evident: it is RCB who have been at the wrong side of all these ‘moments’. Throw in the IPL 2011 final as well, you could easily say that Chennai Super Kings have pretty much been the bane of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s existence.
It says something about the season CSK are currently having, then, that despite owning RCB year in and year out, and despite being the defending champions, pretty much no one considers them favorites for Tuesday’s clash.
Partly, no one is willing to bank on this Chennai side because of how disjointed it looks.
Unlike the title-winning 2021 season, the consistency in the batting department has gone for a toss. Only three batters have managed to make more than 90 runs and among them, only MS Dhoni has managed to average over 30. This would not have been a cause for concern two to three years ago, but a 40-year-old Dhoni being your most consistent batter is not something to be proud of in 2022.
On the bowling front, the injury to Deepak Chahar has reduced Super Kings to being the worst attack in the entire league. Among all ten sides, no one has a worse bowling average and strike rate than CSK. Ravindra Jadeja’s side are also currently the only team to not have picked up at least 20 wickets this season.
Equally, why no one fancies CSK in Tuesday’s clash is because of just how good RCB have been. The Reds have looked rejuvenated under the leadership of Faf du Plessis and have carried a certain aura. They have reaped the rewards for doing some smart work at the auction table, and now finally seem to be a team that is more than the sum of its parts, rather than a side that relies on individual brilliance. Heading into Tuesday they will have momentum on their side too, having won each of their last two clashes.
It goes without saying that RCB carry a lot of baggage heading into the CSK clash, having staggeringly lost 9 of their last 11 encounters against the Super Kings. But, as things stand, they have a golden opportunity to start a new chapter in this lop-sided rivalry.
Faf du Plessis’ powerplay struggles
Versus the Mumbai Indians, RCB got home rather comfortably, with 9 balls to spare. But something curious happened in the chase: the 30/0 posted by the Reds in the first six overs was the third-lowest wicketless powerplay score in the competition’s history.
In fact, despite having won 3 of their first 4 matches, the powerplay is a phase where RCB have struggled immensely: their run-rate of 6.5 is the second-worst in the entire competition.
What has directly contributed to RCB’s slowness in the powerplay is their skipper du Plessis’ struggles up-front, to get off the blocks quickly.
Thus far this season, du Plessis has faced 55 balls in the powerplay but has managed to score a mere 45 runs at a strike rate of 81.8. Among all batters to have faced 30 or more balls in the powerplay this season, only Williamson has been slower.
This comes as a surprise, for the powerplay was a phase where the former CSK man thrived last year. In IPL 2021, du Plessis smashed 297 runs at a strike rate of 136.2. Among batters who scored 200 or more runs inside the first six last season, only Prithvi Shaw had a better strike rate.
He might have made a near-perfect start to captaincy, but, as a batter, du Plessis is still finding his rhythm. He, of all people, will be aware of it, and also aware of the fact that his side will be an even bigger force if and when he finds his hands.
Against a Chennai pace attack that has seemingly been toothless all season, the former CSK man has the perfect opportunity to set the record straight.
Not just Gaikwad, CSK also need Ambati Rayudu to come to the party
While it is true that CSK have been crippled by the injury to Deepak Chahar and have subsequently suffered due to the same, the hideous form of Ruturaj Gaikwad has also left them handicapped. Orange Cap holder last season, Gaikwad has averaged 4.50 this season and has looked a shadow of his usual self, accumulating three single-digit scores in four matches. If the Super Kings are to turn their fortunes around, they’ll need Gaikwad to not just get back to form, but deliver at the same rate he was doing last season and at the back end of IPL 2020.
But the Super Kings also need one more individual to start functioning like he did last season, and that’s Ambati Rayudu. Despite being 36, the Super Kings shelled a mammoth 6.75 crore on Rayudu for a reason: he was integral to their title charge in IPL 2021, a season in which he was an absolute intent-machine, accumulating 257 runs at a strike rate of 151.17.
This season, however, it has so far been a monumental struggle for the 36-year-old, who has not crossed 30 in 4 attempts and has been striking at 96.47.
Rayudu’s struggles have meant that CSK have ended up struggling in the middle-overs, a phase in which they were the best batting side in their title-winning campaign last year. Their SR of 115.7 in overs 7-15 this season is the second-worst in the league, behind only the Mumbai Indians. In comparison, in IPL 2021, the Super Kings’ SR of 135.3 in the middle-overs was the best among all sides.
With Moeen starting to find form and with Shivam Dube having begun the season impressively, Rayudu returning to his 2021 self could just end up reinvigorating the CSK batting line-up.
Harshal-less RCB set to have their work cut out at the back end
For at least the Chennai clash, RCB will be without their talisman Harshal Patel, who unfortunately has had to leave the bubble due to personal reasons.
The challenge for Faf du Plessis’ side will be coping in the back end of the game in the absence of the 31-year-old.
For a second season running, Harshal has been right-up there as the best death bowler in the league. So far in IPL 2022, he’s sent down 7 overs in the 16-20 phase, and has maintained an ER of 8.7. The concern for RCB is that it’s pretty much been a one man show, for the rest of the bowlers have conceded at an eye-watering 13.61 at the death.
Perhaps last season, the management might have had faith in Siraj to step-up, but he’s currently in the midst of a horror season, particularly at the back end where he’s conceded 91 runs in 6 overs at an ER of 15.2.
The good news for RCB is that both Josh Hazlewood and Jason Behrendorff are available and have joined the squad. But given neither is a death-specialist, they might have to lay their faith in someone like a Sid Kaul to fill in for the unavailable Harshal Patel.
Probable XIs
CSK: Robin Uthappa, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja (c), Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Chris Jordan, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary
RCB: Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), David Willey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sid Kaul, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj