Chennai Super Kings head into a crucial clash. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing five-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday. Despite posting 209 runs on the board, aided by Ayush Mahatre’s fluent 73 off 43 balls, CSK failed to defend the total as Punjab chased it down with eight balls to spare. Shreyas Iyer led the charge with a fifty, while early fireworks from Priyanshu Arya (39 in 11) set the tone for the chase. After defeat, Ravichandran Ashwin Demanding patience from the fans, he asked them not to target the young players. “My request to CSK fans, please don’t abuse any player. Support each and every one of them,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel. “Being a fan of a team is not just about winning. The five titles that CSK has won is a legacy, but the youth should not be burdened by it,” he explained. “The burden should not be on Ayush Mahatre or Arul Patel. They have to go out and play happily. They will learn and two years down the line, the side will be invincible again,” he revealed. CSK’s innings started. Sanju Samson And Rituraj Gaikwad opened, but Samson’s struggles continued as he fell cheaply once again. Mahatre then steadied things along with Gaekwad, with a 29-ball fifty to take CSK past 100 inside 10 overs before Yuzvinder Chahal dismissed the skipper for 28 runs. However, the biggest worry for CSK is their bowling unit. In two matches, he scored 338 runs in just 30.5 overs while taking only seven wickets. Even their spinners, Noor Ahmed and Rahul Chahar, proved costly against Punjab, conceding 84 runs in eight overs without being challenged by Aus. The pace attack of Matt Henry, Khalil Ahmed and Anshul Kamboj has also struggled to make an impact. Things don’t get any easier for CSK as they now face a confident RCB side that looks far more balanced than last season. Led by Virat Kohli, RCB’s batting unit looks fine, with Devdutt Padikal rediscovering form with a 26-ball 61 in his previous outing and skipper Rajat Patidar anchoring the middle order effectively. RCB’s bowling, once considered their weak link, has shown significant improvement. In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy impressed with three wickets, using quick short-pitched balls to trouble the opposition batsmen. The team may also consider bringing in left-arm fast bowler Mangesh Yadav in place of Abhinandan Singh. Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya And Suyash Sharma provided control in the middle overs. For CSK, much will depend on Samson rediscovering form early. With scores of 6 and 7 so far, the T20 World Cup winner has not provided the strong start that was expected of him. The clash against RCB could be the perfect stage for a turnaround, but unless their bowling unit improves significantly, CSK will face an uphill battle against an in-form Bangalore side.
