RCB's chance to reprogram their Chepauk spin glitch

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RCB's away battles against KKR and CSK couldn't have been more varied or challenging. The defending champions in Kolkata may have been the easier of the two tests, given the true nature of the Eden Gardens pitch and RCB's line-up. Historically, RCB's best sides have faltered on Chennai's slower, turning tracks, a struggle evident in their woeful record at the home of their big rivals: just one win in nine games.

RCB's top-eight in the IPL 2025 opener, only captain Rajat Patidar boasts a better strike-rate against spin than pace. While this makes them seem somewhat vulnerable against a high-quality attack featuring Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad, the tradeoff is understandable. The line-up is built to maximise the seven home games in Bengaluru and the several other standardized, batting-friendly surfaces across the country.

RCB's spin woes

RCB's spin attack features a left-arm spinner, an inexperienced legspinner and a part-time offspinner. While Krunal Pandya's defensive skills and numbers against left-handers are outstanding, he may be left to do a lot of heavy-lifting against a CSK top-seven that features four southpaws.

Chepauk's spin-friendly pitch

The hosts didn't exactly shine with the bat against Mumbai, despite chasing a modest 155. And, early in the season might just be the best time for RCB to visit Chepauk, with the pitches yet to endure the full wrath of the summer sun. RCB have some vulnerabilities to poke at, while riding a rare feeling of optimism in a fixture that has seldom offered them much.

Match details

• When: March 28, 19:30 IST
• Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
• What to expect: A little more balance between bat and ball. In the opening game here, 25 out of the 40 overs, including 14/20 in the second innings, were bowled by the spinners, who found little, but enough assistance.

Head to Head

• CSK 21 – 11 RCB
• CSK also led 3-2 in games in the last cycle and haven't lost at Chepauk to RCB since the inaugural season in 2008.

Probable XIs

• CSK: Rahul Tripathi, Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Nathan Ellis, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed
• RCB: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma