RCB Off to a Steady Start Despite Chennai’s Early Review Drama
Score Update:
RCB 32-0 after 3 overs
Over 3 Summary:
Khaleel Ahmed to Phil Salt
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2.6: Two runs to backward square leg. Salt keeps the scoreboard ticking.
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2.5: No run. Short of length at 141.2 kph, Salt steps out but is cramped for room and knocks it to mid-off.
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2.4: FOUR! Salt continues to find the boundary. A fraction short, and Salt nails the pull over mid-wicket, landing just short of the rope.
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2.3: Leg bye, 1 run. Back of a length, Kohli misses the tuck, and the ball deflects off his thigh pad.
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2.2: No run. Short ball angled outside off, Kohli tries to pull but is beaten by the extra bounce. Clean take by Dhoni behind the stumps.
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2.1: No run. Chennai lose a review! Full delivery skidding on, Kohli shuffles across and misses the flick, struck in front. Khaleel and Dhoni were confident, but replays show the ball pitched outside leg. Not out!
Phil Salt Starts Aggressively Against Ashwin
Score After 2 Overs: RCB 25/0
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1.1: Ashwin to Phil Salt, SIX – Ashwin starts with a poor delivery, a short carrom ball on leg-stump. Salt pivots and pulls it over backward square for a big six!
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1.2: Ashwin to Phil Salt, FOUR – Another short carrom ball, Salt creates room and punches it through extra cover. No chance for the fielders!
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1.3: Ashwin to Phil Salt, 1 run – Angling in, Salt nudges it through mid-wicket to bring Kohli on strike.
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1.4: Ashwin to Kohli, no run – Slower carrom ball, shorter in length. Kohli waits and defends it back down the pitch. Loud cheer as he takes strike!
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1.5: Ashwin to Kohli, 1 run – Short carrom ball again, Kohli works it into the leg side for a single.
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1.6: Ashwin to Phil Salt, FOUR – On the pads, Salt glances it fine to the boundary.
Philip Salt: 24* (10) | Virat Kohli: 1* (2)
Ashwin: 1-0-16-0
RCB Off to a Steady Start
Phil Salt and Virat Kohli opened the innings for RCB, with Khaleel Ahmed starting the attack. Salt faced the first over and managed to score 9 runs off it. He began with a play-and-miss, followed by another dot ball after missing a pull shot. A short ball on the third delivery also resulted in no run. Salt then got off the mark with a streaky boundary over the slip cordon, followed by a cleanly struck four over backward point. He finished the over with a single to deep square leg, bringing the score to 9-0 after 1 over. Salt remains unbeaten on 9 off 6 balls, while Kohli is yet to face a delivery. Khaleel Ahmed’s first over yielded 9 runs.
Ravindra Jadeja is playing in his 50th IPL match for CSK at Chepauk.
IPL 2025: Impact Substitutes for CSK and RCB Revealed
Chennai Super Kings: Shivam Dube, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed, Kamlesh Nagarkoti
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Manoj S Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Playing XI:
Virat Kohli, Philip Salt (w), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Playing XI:
Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed
TOSS UPDATE
Chennai Super Kings opt to bowl
Ruturaj Gaikwad(CSK Captain): We are going to bowl first. I think it will play slightly better than the last game. So far there hasn’t been any dew, we don’t know when the dew will arrive and it is not in our control. There are areas; we were sitting behind in the field and would like to be more aggressive, batting wise we can be more clinical. We have just got one change – Pathirana comes back for Ellis.
Rajat Patidar(RCB Captain): We had decided to bowl first. It will not make much difference, the surface looks hard, we will try to put up a total and keep them under pressure. The boys did well in the last game. We have to be at our best in every game and we will try to do that today also. The bowling unit after 13 overs. The way they came back was amazing to see, the intent shown by the batting side was good to see. It is one of the biggest games in the league because of the fans it makes it fun and exciting. One change – Bhuvi comes in for Rasikh.
Yash Dayal on RCB Retention, Learning from Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood, and Match Preparations
Yash Dayal: “RCB has retained me, it’s a very big deal. It feels good the way I am treated here.
[On sharing dressing room with Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood] It matters a lot. They are very helpful during practice matches and sessions. It’s the benefit of their experience.
[On high scoring matches] I always think positively in every match. I watch every match and focus on other players’ strengths and weaknesses rather than their scores.
[Preparation] Feeling very good. We have prepared really well. Tried to tick all the boxes. It’s just about going out there.”
Rahul Tripathi on Life at CSK: “An Innings That Takes Us Home Will Be Perfect”
Rahul Tripathi: “Well, it has been fun here in CSK. Different atmosphere. I love my time in Yellow. It has been a great franchise, as everybody talks about it. Being here, the team trusts you and gives you a lot of confidence. Very relaxed atmosphere. Just go out and do what you want to do, which is the key being here.
Definitely, it is going to be a good game. To be on the field while two legends (Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni) of the game are playing is a great opportunity to be around. To love the atmosphere when Mahi bhai walks out to bat and Virat bhai comes out to bat. The crowd goes wild and the atmosphere becomes electric, and to be a part of it is exciting.
I have batted in the top three. I have opened before as well. Team wanted me to open the batting and give as good start as I can in the powerplay. I have been doing this over the years. I am ready to do anything that the team requires me to do. An innings that takes us home with CSK winning will be a perfect one for me.”
Bhuvi and Pathirana Gear Up as They Mark Their Run-Ups
Bhuvneshwar Kumar steps in and immediately heads to both ends to mark his run-up,” reports Kaushik. “Meanwhile, Matheesha Pathirana is also busy marking his run-up!”
Pitch Report for Tonight’s Match by Danny Morrison and Matthew Hayden
Danny Morrison and Matthew Hayden have analyzed the pitch for tonight’s game. They mentioned that the match will be played on a different pitch from Sunday’s game, resulting in slight changes in the boundary dimensions, 70 meters and 63 meters square boundaries, and 74 meters straight down the ground.
Hayden noted that the surface looks good, but pointed out that he noticed significant dew when he observed the pitch around 8 PM last night. There are some bare patches around a good length where the ball was gripping slightly, which could influence the performance of both spinners and pacers using off-pace deliveries.
The pitch is not expected to produce a high-scoring game, with a score of 160–170 being competitive. A total of around 185 would be ideal for a strong advantage.
Milestones in Sight: Key Numbers to Watch in IPL 2025 In CSK vs MI
Numbers to Watch:
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Khaleel Ahmed is just 3 wickets away from reaching 150 T20 wickets.
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MS Dhoni needs 2 more sixes to become the first CSK player to hit 250 IPL sixes.
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Virat Kohli is 55 runs short of becoming the 5th batter to reach 13,000 T20 runs.
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Liam Livingstone requires 46 runs to complete 1,000 IPL runs.
IPL 2025: Probable Playing XIs and Impact Sub Options for RCB vs CSK
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Probable XI Batting First): Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Sub Options: Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Mohit Rathee, Manoj S Bhandage, Romario Shepherd
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Probable XI Bowling First): Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam/Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Sub Options: Devdutt Padikkal, Mohit Rathee, Manoj S Bhandage, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh
Chennai Super Kings (Probable XI if Batting First): Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Deepak Hooda, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Sub Options – Jamie Overton, Matheesha Pathirana, Vijay Shankar, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis
Chennai Super Kings (Probable XI if Bowling First): Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Curran, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Sub Options – Rahul Tripathi, Vansh Bedi, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shaik Rasheed
