It's RCB vs CSK again, but will IPL's tastiest fixture have the same edge as before?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Bengaluru is arguably one of the biggest clashes in the IPL. But there is a distinct vibe missing from this game this time around, and CSK's season has a lot to do with that.

There was hardly any crowd outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium when CSK arrived for their training session ahead of Saturday's game. This was very different from last year, when both sides of the street outside the venue were packed even on the eve of the game, and a sizeable crowd had gathered inside to watch the players train.

Make no mistake, the RCB-CSK clash will still get top billing. The tickets have been sold out for weeks, and the stadium will be packed to the rafters to watch MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli go head-to-head (for one final time?). But the buzz is missing.

CSK have lost eight out of ten games, and were the first team to be knocked out of IPL 2025. Even their training session on the eve of the fixture against RCB wasn't as intense as it might otherwise be. Shaikh Rasheed and Ayush Mhatre started the session with R Ashwin, Anshul Kamboj and Noor Ahmad bowling in one set of the nets, while Vijay Shankar went ahead at another.

Ravindra Jadeja walked in for a bat half an hour after the training began, but intense rain stopped the session for about 40 minutes. CSK picked up pace after the rain break, with Sam Curran, Jadeja, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Dewald Brevis all having a go. Dhoni, Shivam Dube and Matheesha Pathirana were the notable absentees from the training session.

It was quite different at the other end in the RCB camp. Currently on 14 points, a win at home will take RCB to 16, and make their playoffs chances and a potential top-two finish even stronger. They started their training session with Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal sharing one net, and Jitesh Sharma in another, with Dinesh Karthik keeping a careful watch, while Romario Shepherd was having a hit in a third net. RCB also had a wristspinner very similar to Noor, bowling at Kohli and Padikkal.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: WWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Chennai Super Kings : LLLWL

With the limelight on Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya has quietly flown under the radar. He has picked 13 wickets this season, which is his best ever in a season. But, more importantly, all his wickets have come in RCB wins. In the seven matches RCB have won, Krunal has 13 wickets in 26 overs at an economy of 8.2, while in the three matches that RCB have lost, he has no wicket to show in six overs, with his economy zooming to 10.5. Krunal has the second-most wickets by a spinner this season, behind Noor, and has been RCB's go-to spinner in the middle-overs, where he operates at an economy rate of 8.18. Krunal is coming into the game on the back of a Player-of-the-Match performance against Delhi Capitals, where he was frugal with the ball, and scored an unbeaten 73 with the bat.

While there has been little to write home about CSK's bowling this season, Khaleel Ahmed has been pretty consistent, especially at the start. No other bowler has more powerplay wickets than Khaleel this season (nine), while he has also bowled 106 dot balls, the highest for any bowler. In terms of dot balls, this is already Khaleel's third-best season, and he still has four games to go. Khaleel has the second-most wickets for CSK behind Noor, and had an interesting battle with Phil Salt and Kohli when these two teams met earlier this season. He will want to continue the good run of form going forward.

Salt had missed RCB's previous game due to illness, and his availability remains unconfirmed. If he misses out, Jacob Bethell could retain his place at the top of the order. RCB are unlikely to make any other changes to their side. Padikkal could come in as the Impact Player in place of Suyash Sharma, and vice versa.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Jacob Bethell, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Romario Shepherd, 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma

CSK went with an unchanged side last time, and are unlikely to tinker with the XI unless they want to give some of the other members of the squad a game. In that case, Vansh Bedi could slot in to replace Deepak Hooda.

Chennai Super Kings: 1 Shaik Rasheed, 2 Ayush Mhatre, 3 Sam Curran, 4 Ravindra Jadeja, 5 Dewald Brevis, 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Deepak Hooda/Vijay Shankar/Vansh Bedi, 8 MS Dhoni (capt, wk), 9 Anshul Kamboj, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Khaleel Ahmed, 12 Matheesha Pathirana

There has already been a rain-shortened game in Bengaluru, and there is rain in the air for Saturday as well. There are thunderstorms predicted for early to late evening, with the temperature expected to hover around the 30 degree mark. The surface has been under covers for the better part of three days, and there could be something in it for the bowlers all through.

"There's a lot of motivation in the squad. There's opportunities for some players to get a chance, and to show that they can play at this level. Plus they're a very proud group. We're very proud to play for CSK. Massive fan base, and so you want to put in good performances to please the fans as well. I think the players really understand their responsibility, and give 100% effort for every single match."
Mike Hussey doesn't feel CSK need any extra motivation despite being out of the tournament

"First and foremost, it's a mental shift that you need to make when you come into IPL cricket where you need to understand that the game has evolved a lot and you have to be with the times. Yes, a lot of work went into the shots that I want to play."
Devdutt Padikkal on his improved strike rate this season