The 1st match of the tournament would see Chennai Super Kings take on the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.
Preview
The 17th edition of the Indian Premier League is here, and the fans can’t wait for the two-month long extravaganza to begin. Ten franchises will go head-to-head and will give their absolutely everything to have a shot at winning the coveted title. The first game of the tournament will see five-time champions Chennai Super Kings take on Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M.A Chidambaram stadium in Chennai.
Chennai Super Kings hate to make changes to their squad and playing XI and have gradually replaced some of their key players with a few young guns. The retirement of Ambati Rayudu and the over-dependence on Deepak Chahar as the primary Indian fast bowler were two of the main concerns for the franchise ahead of the auctions. They brought in the experienced Shardul Thakur to support Chahar in the bowling department. They also roped in youngsters like Rachin Ravindra and Sameer Rizvi for the batting. The side would be hoping to produce yet another stunning campaign and maybe give their skipper, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, a fitting farewell.
It was yet another season of chopping and changing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore as they splashed the cash on overseas bowlers after releasing virtually 70% of their bowling unit prior to the 2024 Auctions. They added the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, and Tom Curran to the squad. The franchise also roped in Australian all-rounder Cameron Green for INR 16.50 crore which had also raised some eyebrows amongst the fans. But will these changes result in a change in fortune for the franchise? That is a question only time will tell.
Match Information
Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Match 1
Indian Premier League, 22 Mar 2024, Fri, 8:00 PM IST ,Chennai
Probable PlayingXI
Chennai Super Kings
RD Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, MM Ali, DJ Mitchell, S Dubey, RA Jadeja, MS Dhoni(C), Shardul Thakur, DL Chahar, TU Deshpande, M Theekshana
Bench: Devon Conway, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Sameer Rizvi, Nishant Sindhu, Mitchell Santner, AJ Mandal, A Avanish, RS Hangargekar, Matheesha Pathirana, Mustafizur Rahman, Prashant Solanki, Simarjeet Singh, Mukesh Choudhary
Royal Challengers Bangalore
F du Plessis(C), Virat Kohli, RM Patidar, GJ Maxwell, C Green, MK Lomror, Dinesh Karthik, Akash Deep, KV Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, RJW Topley
Bench: Anuj Rawat, SS Prabhudessai, S Chauhan, M Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, TK Curran, MJ Dagar, WG Jacks, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Rajan Kumar, Alzarri Joseph, Himanshu Sharma, Yash Dayal, LH Ferguson
Injury News
Weather Report: Light Rain
Win Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore
Pitch Condition: Balanced
Avg 1st Inning Score: 149
Pitch Report
Captains
The former Team India skipper has not played much T20I cricket since the last IPL but given his stature in the game, he would be quick to adapt to the conditions and perform once again for the franchise.
The opener will look to start the tournament off on the right note and make a statement innings against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
The all-rounder is likely to be a key player for the franchise this season and his glorious batting skills along with tidy off-spin can be an asset for the franchise in Chennai.
Top
The New Zealand batting all-rounder might be the X-factor for the Chennai Super Kings in this game as he might perform with the bat and give a couple of overs as well with the ball.
Maheesh Theekshana CSK | BOWL – 8.5
The Sri Lankan spinner would look to start the season with a flurry of wickets on a track which will be suitable to for them.
Budget
The veteran played a different kind of role last year and might continue with his attacking cameos this season which would be fruitful for the franchise.
The opener would be hoping to start the campaign off on a high note and might cap it off with an amazing performance with the bat for the franchise.
The bowler is known to have spells which destroy the batting line-up of the opposition and fan would hope that he can deliver once again with the ball.
DISCLAIMER
This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.
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