Match 35 of this year's Indian Premier League (IPL) will be between two most fancied teams of this ongoing edition, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). With six wins in eight matches, the M.S. Dhoni-led CSK are sitting at second place in the points table, while Virat Kohli's RCB are at third place with 10 points. However, a 10-over defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in the previous match have reduced Bangalore's net run rate to -0.706.
Kohli described that defeat as 'a bit of a wake-up call'. For now, their chances of making it to the last four are quite high. However, as the business end of the league approaches, things can change drastically. Hence, Bangalore need to buckle up for this contest on Friday night in Sharjah, a bowler's graveward in the 2020 edition.
Standing in RCB's way is an in-form CSK brigade, a team with momentum in their favour. An inspired batting effort by Ruturaj Gaikwad & co. was backed up by the bowlers in their previous encounter against Mumbai.
The challenge for both the teams at this venue, the smallest of the three used in the IPL, is to maximise their batting resources. It is an ideal game for the out-of-sorts RCB batters to get back in the groove. When it comes to power-hitting, they have an advantage over CSK. A spin-dependent Chennai may seem out of their comfort zone, and Dhoni will need to come up with different tactics to tame the likes of A.B. De Villiers and others.
Likely XIs
Chennai Super Kings: Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Curran, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Ravindra Jadeja, M.S. Dhoni (c & wk), Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Josh Hazlewood
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, A.B. de Villiers, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Having served his quarantine, Sam Curran is available for selection for CSK. At Sharjah, back CSK to pick him straightway ahead of Moeen Ali or Hazlewood. Along with Bravo, Curran can be a decent pick as an all-rounder in your fantasy team.
- RCB have the option of picking power-hitter Tim David. However, knowing Virat Kohli's inclination towards more bowling options, he is unlikely to drop someone like Wanindu Hasaranga.
- Go for Harshal ahead of a spin-bowling option like Chahal. One of RCB's premier death bowlers this season, Harshal has picked up a lot of breakthroughs between 16 to 20 overs.
Prediction
RCB seem more suited to play at Sharjah and expect them to topple CSK here.
Blitzpools Fantasy XI
A.B. De Villiers (c & wk), Faf du Plessis, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Glenn Maxwell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, Dwayne Bravo (vc), Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur
