Sharjah [UAE] : MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the toss and opted to field against Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) in an Indian Premier League (IPL) encounter here at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. The toss was delayed by 30 minutes because of a sandstorm in Sharjah.
At the time of toss, CSK skipper MS Dhoni said: “We’ll bowl first. There are a few wet patches, but it has dried out slightly. It’s a small ground and there was dew the last time we played. Same team. It was an incredible team effort. To reach around 160, it was a special performance by the bat. The bowlers needed to get into action and we kept getting wickets. We played really well to get back in. He (Gaekwad) has been incredible, he plays authentic cricket shots. I just hope he keeps doing the same.”
RCB captain Virat Kohli said: “The wicket looks nice and hard. Don’t think it’ll change a lot. A few more runs would be nice. It’s a wake-up call, you still have to come out here and gain momentum again. We have brought in Navdeep Saini for Sachin Baby. We needed more pace in the middle overs. Kyle Jamieson misses out and Tim David replaces him. He makes his debut for RCB, he’s a power player in the lower middle-order, plays spin well and he’s a strong lad.”
This match sees two of the top four lock horns, with both sides looking to cement their place in the playoff positions. For CSK, they’ll be thrilled after their wonderful comeback v MI, while for RCB, they’ll be hoping their match v KKR was just a blip.
Playing XI: Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini, and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Faf du Plessis, Moeen Ali, Ambati Rayudu, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni(w/c), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, and Josh Hazlewood.