IPL 2023, RCB vs CSK: MS Dhoni's fitness in focus as Chennai targets middle overs push against Bangalore
By PTI News | First Published Apr 16, 2023, 6:00 PM ISTIPL 2023 will witness a Southern Derby on Monday, with Royal Challengers Bangalore hosting Chennai Super Kings. However, the visitors will be concerned by MS Dhoni's fitness, as they aim to accelerate in the middle overs.
Former four-time champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will look to pick up the pace in the middle overs and hope its inspirational skipper MS Dhoni takes the field despite a knee niggle against fierce rival Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the eagerly awaited Southern derby in the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday.
It will be a unique atmosphere at the Chinnaswamy Stadium when the two teams battle to gain momentum after an up-and-down campaign so far. The knee has been troubling Dhoni since the start of the tournament, but he has ended up playing all four games so far. CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan expects the skipper to lead against RCB.
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"I don't think he will miss the game, but we will have to wait and see till tomorrow evening," he told PTI. Dhoni was seen limping a bit after the loss to former champion Rajasthan Royals (RR) at home earlier this week, raising questions over his availability for the RCB game.
Even though Dhoni has been coming out to bat at number eight, he has made an impact and almost took his team over the line in the last-ball finish against the Royals. Openers Ruturaj Gaikward and Devon Conway have been doing their job, and Ajinkya Rahane, too, seems to have reinvented himself while batting at number three, but the middle order needs to do more.
Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja have been unable to get going. Dube especially has struggled to gain fluency in all four innings, reflecting his strike rate of 118.84. Injuries have hit the bowling department. First, CSK lost Deepak Chahar, and now, Sisanda Magala is expected to be out for two weeks at least. Star all-rounder Ben Stokes will likely regain full fitness by the end of the month.
RCB, on the other hand, got a much-needed win on Saturday afternoon and will aim to build on the performance against Delhi Capitals (DC). Virat Kohli's form has been the most significant positive for them. Kohli collecting boundaries with his sublime off-side play is enough to create discomfort in the opposition camp, and he will be fired up for an encore against CSK.
Skipper Faf du Plessis has led from the front while batting at the top alongside Kohli. Like CSK, RCB's middle order is yet to unlock its potential. Glenn Maxwell has batted at an impressive strike rate, but Shahbaz Ahmed and Mahipal Lomror can do better. After a stellar last season, Dinesh Karthik has underperformed in the finisher's role and will be itching to change that.
Mohammed Siraj has been the stand-out bowler with the ball and breathed fire in his opening spell against Delhi. The team hopes its death overs specialist Harshal Patel returns to his best, having leaked close to 11 runs per over in the past four games.
Squads:
CSK: Mahendra Singh Dhoni (c & wk), Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ambati Rayudu, Moeen Ali, Ben Stokes, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajinkya Rahane, Sisanda Magala, Shivam Dube, Dwaine Pretorius, Ahay Mandal, Nishant Sindhu, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Mitchell Santner, Subharnshu Senapati, Simarjeet Singh, Matheesa Pathirana, Mahesh Theekshana, Bhagath Verma, Prashant Solanki, Shaikh Rasheed and Tushar Deshpande.
RCB: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudesai, Karn Sharma, Siddarth Kaul, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Himanshu Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav and Michael Bracewell.
Match details
Date and day: April 16, 2023 (Sunday)
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Time: 3.30 PM (IST)
Where to watch (TV): Star Sports 1 and other Star Sports regional language channels - Also available in HD
Where to watch (Online): JioCinema
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