BENGALURU: To his fans, he is ‘Thala’ and to his teammates, he is ‘Anna’, ‘Bhai’ or skipper. To his opponents, he’s one of the deadliest finishers of the game, a nightmare for bowlers, a cricketing brain bar none.
Mahendra Singh Dhoni personifies Chennai Super Kings. He’s the first thing that comes to mind when one thinks of the team in yellow. At 41, the battle-hardened veteran is probably in the last lap of his career, but he still commands devotion – from his fans – and respect from everyone else, no matter the venue.
IPL 2023 SCHEDULE | IPL 2023 POINTS TABLEThe M Chinnaswamy stadium – Royal Challengers Bangalore’s fortress – is no different. On Sunday, the eve of the much-awaited southern derby of this season’s IPL, excitement had reached a crescendo. That this could be Dhoni’s curtain call at this venue and the teams play each other only once this season has only added to the exhilaration.
The last time the teams met at this venue in 2019, the hosts clinched a one-run victory in a humdinger.
Dhoni almost snatched a
CSK win with a blistering, unbeaten 48-ball 84.
Much has changed on either side of the Attibele border since. Virat Kohli is not leading the home team, none of the bowlers who orchestrated the win are part of RCB’s set up, Moeen Ali, then an RCB all-rounder, is now an integral part of CSK.
The men from Chennai don’t come into this match as defending champions.
Faf du Plessis, their opener three seasons ago, leads RCB now. Also missing are Dwayne Bravo, Suresh Raina and Shane Watson, all key players.
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IPL 2023: CSK look for middle overs push against RCB
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<p>Chennai Super Kings will look to pick up the pace in the middle overs and hope their inspirational skipper MS Dhoni takes the field despite a knee niggle against fierce rivals Royal Challengers Bangalore in the eagerly awaited Southern derby in the IPL in Bengaluru on Monday.<br /></p>
<p>There will be a special atmosphere at the Chinnaswamy Stadium when the two teams battle to gain momentum after an up and down campaign so far.<br /></p>
<p>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.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Dhoni was seen limping a bit after the loss to Rajasthan Royals at home earlier this week, raising questions over his availability for the RCB game.<br /></p>
<p>Even though Dhoni has been coming out to bat at number eight, he has managed to make an impact and almost took his team over the line in the last ball finish against the Royals.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>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.<br /></p>
<p>The likes of Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja have not been able to get going. Dube especially has struggled to gain fluency in all his four innings and that reflects in his strike rate of 118.84.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>The bowling department has been hit by injuries, first they lost Deepak Chahar and now Sisanda Magala is expected to be out for at least two weeks. Star all-rounder Ben Stokes is likely to regain full fitness by the end of the month.<br /></p>
<p>RCB, on the other hand, got a much needed win on Saturday afternoon and will be aiming to build on the performance against Delhi Capitals.<br /></p>
<p>Virat Kohli’s form has been the biggest positive for them. Kohli collecting boundaries with his sublime off side play is enough to create discomfort in the opposition camp and will be fired up for an encore against CSK.<br /></p>
<p>Skipper Faf du Plessis too has led from the front while batting at the top alongside Kohli.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>Like CSK, RCB’s middle-order is yet to unlock its potential. Glenn Maxwell has batted at an impressive strike rate but the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed and Mahipal Lomror can do better.<br /><br /><br /></p>
<p>After a stellar last season, Dinesh Karthik has under-performed in the finisher’s role and will be itching to change that.<br /></p>
<p>With the ball, Mohammed Siraj has been the stand out bowler and breathed fire in his opening spell against Delhi. The team would be hoping its death overs specialist Harshal Patel returns to his best having leaked close to 11 runs per over over the past four games.<br /></p>
Away from the din surrounding the contest and its back stories, the teams are focussed on climbing the points table. CSK and RCB are placed sixth and seventh in the 10-team fray. With two wins each and an equal number of losses, they are separated only by net run rate.
They both have had convincing wins and heartbreakingly close defeats. CSK have arrived here, wounded in more than one way. They lost their previous game by three runs to Rajasthan Royals at home.
Dhoni is nursing and managing a knee injury, while Sisanda Magala, Ben Stokes and Deepak Chahar are already side-lined. Buoyed by their success against Delhi Capitals on Saturday evening, RCB will hope for their bowlers to be on the dot again.
Watch IPL 2023: RCB take on CSK in southern derby
