Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, Indian Premier League (IPL), Today Match Prediction 21 Apr 2019

rcb vs csk Match Prediction & Analysis

The 39th game of Indian Premier League (IPL) will see Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Chennai Super Kings at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday. 

In their last match, Chennai’s four winning streak came to end, courtesy David Warner and Jonny Bairstow’s splendid half-centuries which helped Sunrisers complete a six-wicket victory. Despite losing the previous game, Chennai are still at the top of the league with 14 points to their name.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Royal Challengers Bangalore Preview

Royal Challengers Bangalore put in a splendid performance to beat Kolkata Knight Riders by 10 runs in a game played at Eden Gardens. The side will need to bring their A-game to the table in this must-win game against defending champions Chennai Super Kings.

Captain Virat Kohli certainly produced a sublime innings in a must-win game for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He scored 100 off just 58 balls with the help of nine fours and four sixes to help Royal Challengers Bangalore amass 213 runs in their 20 overs. Kohli is currently franchise’s leading-run scorer with 378 runs in 9 matches at an average of 42.00.

Parthiv Patel has been a big plus for Bangalore so far this season as he has chipped in with notable performances with bat. Wicket-keeper batsman will be keen to produce a notable score for the side against Chennai Super Kings.

AB De Villiers was ruled out of the previous game under mysterious circumstances. Virat Kohli said that the star batsman has suffered from illness and will be available for the next game against Chennai Super Kings.

All-rounder Moeen Ali has played some vital knocks for the side and provided impetus at the back end of the innings. He once again delivered runs with the bat in the previous game played against Kolkata Knight Riders. Moeen Ali produced a blistering innings for Royal Challengers Bangalore and scored 66 runs off 28 balls with the help of five fours and six sixes.

In the bowling department, the inclusion of experienced pace bowler Dale Steyn certainly proved to be a correct decision. Steyn provided crucial breakthroughs with the new-ball and picked up wickets of Chris Lynn and Shubham Gill to see RCB take control of the game. 

Navdeep Saini and Marcus Stoinis also bowled well and picked up one wicket apiece.

The spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and Moeen Ali will be crucial for RCB in the middle overs of the innings.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Playing XI:

Virat Kohli (captain), AB De Villiers, Parthiv Patel (wk), Marcus Stoinis, Akshdeep Nath, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Dale Steyn

Royal Challengers Bangalore Actual Playing XI:

Pawan Negi, Marcus Stoinis, Umesh Yadav, Virat Kohli, YS Chahal, AB de Villiers, Akshdeep Nath, Moeen Ali, Parthiv Patel, NA Saini, DW Steyn

Chennai Super Kings Preview

MS Dhoni-led side will have to learn from their mistakes and make a strong comeback against Royal Challengers Bangalore 

Chennai came up short in their previous game against Hyderabad, as batsman struggled to up the ante in the last 10 overs of the innings.

There seems to be over-reliance on Faf du Plessis to do bulk of the scoring as Shane Watson is not in great touch at the top of the innings. Watson certainly chipped in with a decent score in the previous game and scored 31 runs off 29 balls with the help of four boundaries.

Faf du Plessis showed good form with the bat in the last match and scored 45 runs off 31 balls with the help of three fours and three sixes to see Chennai get off to steady in their innings.

Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina and Ravendra Jadeja chipped in with cameos in the previous game. Rayudu has been the biggest disappointment for Chennai so far this season as he managed to score only 163 runs in 9 innings at an average of 23.28. The middle-order has gone through a lean run and will need to find form with the bat in the next couple of matches.

Fast-bowler Deepak Chahar has done an excellent job for Chennai with the new-ball. He has taken 11 wickets in 9 matches at an average of 21. 54. His new-ball partner, Shardul Thakur, has also done a decent job and picked up crucial breakthroughs for the side in this year’s competition.

Leg-spinner Imran Tahir has been standout bowler for Chennai so far in this year’s competition. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for the franchise with 15 wickets in 9 matches with a superb economy rate of 5.67.

Chennai Super Kings Predicted Playing XI:

MS Dhoni (c), Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Kedhar Jadhav, Suresh Raina, Ravendra Jadeja, Imran Tahir, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Karn Sharma

Chennai Super Kings Actual Playing XI:

Dwayne Bravo, Imran Tahir, Ambati Rayudu, SR Watson, Deepak Chahar, SN Thakur, Ravindra Jadeja, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni

Weather Conditions

The wicket will provide an interesting contest with bat and ball. The quick bowlers will get pace and bounce from the surface. The weather forecast for the game on Sunday is going to be partly cloudy.

Venues

M.Chinnaswamy Stadium has not a happy hunting for Royal Challengers Bangalore in recent times. The side has lost all their games played in this year’s competition. Virat Kohli and co. will be looking to make amends for their poor record at the venue.

Toss: To Bowl

The side that wins the toss would be looking to bowl first and make early use of the fresh prepared wicket. The quick bowlers have got more assistance off the pitch as compared to the spinners. All three games have been won by sides batting second.