This Friday, the Chennai Super Kings, led by Ruturaj Gaikwad, will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, headed by Rajat Patidar, in what promises to be an exciting match of the Indian Premier League 2025. The game will be held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, and both teams are coming in with a lot of momentum after their recent victories.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru kicked off their season in style, securing a solid seven-wicket win over the Kolkata Knight Riders at their home ground, Eden Gardens. On the other hand, the Chennai Super Kings also found success by defeating one of their biggest rivals, the Mumbai Indians, by four wickets. Given the heated battles these teams have had since IPL 2024, fans can expect a thrilling showdown on Friday.
One player to watch is Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the swing bowler for Bengaluru, who seems to be in top shape and may be included in the playing XI for this match. Although both Bhuvneshwar and Josh Hazlewood are great bowlers, especially during the Powerplay with the new ball, having Bhuvneshwar could be a strategic choice for Patidar due to the number of left-handed batsmen in the CSK lineup. If Bhuvneshwar starts, it might mean Yash Dayal will sit out, but he could still make a mark as an Impact Sub if RCB needs more bowling options. If needed, Devdutt Padikkal could step in to strengthen the batting lineup as he did in the last match against KKR.
As for CSK, they’re likely to stick with the same lineup that played against Mumbai Indians. Rahul Tripathi, who was brought in for Khaleel Ahmed during the second innings of that match, is again expected to be a significant Impact Sub for batting. If they decide they need an extra bowler, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, who’s back in form, could be a good choice for the team.
Looking ahead to the predicted team lineups for CSK vs. RCB in IPL 2025, here’s how they might look:
CSK: Ruturaj Gaikwad (captain), Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed.
RCB: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar (captain), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
With both teams showing strong performances, this match should be one for the books! Fans are eagerly waiting to see how the action unfolds.
