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The fate of the final IPL 2024 playoff spot hangs in the balance as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) lock horns with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a do-or-die encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
CSK opts to bowl first, makes one change
CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and elected to field first, looking to capitalize on their bowling strength. They made a single change to their playing XI, bringing in Mitchell Santner for Moeen Ali, who has returned home for England duty.
“We’ll bowl first. The wicket looks good, conditions are overcast and we will look to make the most of the movement in the first 2-3 overs. It looks a bit damp, but we’ll go with great intent. Every game in the IPL is must win, nothing changes for us, we’ll take it ball-by-ball, try and win the small processes. We’ve won some crucial games to go ahead of the pack in the middle. Just one change – Moeen isn’t available, Santner replaces him,” said Gaikwad at the toss.
RCB makes one change for crucial match
RCB, needing a big win to secure a playoff berth, brought in Glenn Maxwell to replace Will Jacks, who has also returned to England.
“We would have fielded as well, but we put up a good score when we batted first last. Losing the toss isn’t ideal, but we’ll take a lot of confidence from the last 5 games. The set-up is great, last match before the knock-out stage, the scenario is nicely set up and we’re happy to play our last league game in front of our fans. Not thinking a lot, we’ll take it as it comes and do our best,” said Du Plessis.
Also READ: IPL 2024 – Here’s what will happen if RCB vs CSK clash is washed out due to rain
The stakes are high
The winner of this match will automatically qualify for the playoffs, filling the fourth and final spot. However, for RCB, simply winning isn’t enough. They need to win by a margin of at least 18 runs to overcome their inferior net run rate compared to CSK.
RCB vs CSK: Playing XI of both teams
Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Daryl Mitchell, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj
RCB vs CSK: Impact substitutes for both teams
Chennai Super Kings Impact Subs: Shivam Dube, Sameer Rizvi, Prashant Solanki, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Swapnil Singh, Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Himanshu Sharma
Also READ: RCB and CSK IPL record at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru
