CSK vs RCB Preview – Chepauk sets for a rocking Southern derby

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be up against each other in Match No.8 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk in Chennai on Friday, March 28.

CSK began their IPL 2025 campaign with a four-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at Chepauk. MI asked to bat first, and posted a total of 155/9, with contributions from Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma, and Deepak Chahar. Noor Ahmad (4/18) and Khaleel Ahmed (3/29) rattled MI’s batting lineup and restricted them to a low score.

Chasing 156, skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad (53 off 26) and Rachin Ravindra (65 off 45) gave CSK a strong start. However, MI debutant Vignesh Puthur (3/32) and Will Jacks chipped in with a few, putting the home team in a spot of bother. Despite wickets tumbling, Ravindra guided CSK home eventually.

Meanwhile, Rajat Patidar’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are coming off a comfortable win over the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament opener. The Ajinkya Rahane-led side was restricted to a below-par score, despite reaching the 100-run mark in under 10 overs. RCB bowlers, especially Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood kept throwing challenges at the opposition batters and stopped them at 174/8.

In reply, the Bengaluru-based team got off to a flying start, courtesy of their new opening pair of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli. The duo stitched a 95-run stand before, Patidar played a quick cameo to guide the team to their first win of the season.

Pitch Report

The Chennai pitch has historically favoured spinners, but in the last season, pacers got good to carry with the new ball. Batting here is more challenging than at other venues. The surface is expected to be felt harder than expected. In the first game of this season at this venue, the spinners came into play and did the damage.

Probable XI

Chennai Super Kings

Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed

Impact Player: Rahul Tripathi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

Impact Player: Devdutt Padikkal