Can Royal Challengers Bangalore do it? Concerns remain over their bowling attack, but finally, the batting order is coming together. Virat Kohli is in the mood, Moeen Ali has found his straps and now RCB can be a difficult proposition. They will be up against the well oiled unit in Chennai Super Kings, a side which dropped their last match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Concerns remain over the availability of MS Dhoni, but after the humiliation they received in the first match, RCB know that they cannot take this side lightly.
Predicted XI of both sides:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Parthiv Patel, Shimron Hetmyer, Moeen Ali, Marcus Stoinis, Akshdeep Nath, Pawan Negi, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dale Steyn, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Suresh Raina, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, Sam Billings, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Imran Tahir
Fantasy tips and suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: There is no MS Dhoni in the fray which means tha Sam Billings will be slotted lower down the order, hence, Parthiv Patel, who will open the innings for RCB, gets the nod as the wicket-keeper
Batsmen: Virat Kohli, who slammed a sensational 100 in the previous match, now has found his groove. Hence, he should be in the side. Also, Faf might enjoy the good batting conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as will Suresh Raina, both of whom now need to be more consistent at the top of the order.
Ambati Rayudu, who has been named in the reserves, should use these opportunities to get cracking and find form which would further convince the selectors that he is the perfect fit for a World Cup side.
All-rounders: Moeen Ali and Marcus Stoinis – both players are fit and firing and this has eased the pressure on Virat Kohli. While Moeen took the attack to Kuldeep Yadav in the previous match, Stoinis held his nerve in the penultimate over to help his side defend the total.
Spinners: Imran Tahir and Yuzvendra Chahal – two leggies who keep turning up and getting the job done for their sides. While Tahir will face a new challenge on the placid track in Bangalore, Chahal needs to improve after the mauling he received at the hands of Andre Russell and Nitish Rana in the previous match.
Seamers: Deepak Chahar has been brilliant this season for the Chennai Super Kings and will once again, be key with the new ball against Virat Kohli. For RCB, the presence of Dale Steyn is a massive shot in the arm and he would be the key to slice through the CSK top order.
