CSK’s great run in the Indian Premier League continues as they find themselves at the top of the table with a couple of more matches to go before we reach the business end of the tournament. Royal Challengers Bangalore on the other hand, despite having a very good team, is struggling to hit the right balance as the bowlers have found themselves at the receiving end most of the times.
Here is a look at the players to watch out for in the match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Chennai Super Kings:
Dwayne Smith: Smith so far has been in tremendous nick with the bat in hand and looks to be the player who can take the match away from the opposition within a matter of overs. Smith is the man behind CSK getting off to a flying start in most of their matches and can come in handy with the ball in hand as well.
Suresh Raina: Raina so far has had a quiet tournament and would be looking to make full use of the opportunity of batting at the top of order against Bangalore. In the absence of Bremdon McCullum Raina has to take more responsibility in ensuring that CSK gets off to a decent start.
Ravi Ashwin: Ashwin has been a real star with the ball in hand for CSK and he would be looking to pick up wickets in order to stop the flow of runs during the middle stages of the match. The team has a history of doing well when Ashwin fires with his off-spinners.
Mohit Sharma: Sharma has done the job with the new ball for Mahendra Singh Dhoni and is among the highest wicket-takers in the tournament which definitely makes him one of the bowlers to watch out for in match against Bangalore.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Yuvraj Singh: There are few better sights in the world than to see Yuvraj Singh in full flow. Yuvraj in the last two matches has proved that form is temporary and class is permanent. The way he is hitting the ball at the moment, CSK might just be in the firing line which is not good news for MSD.
Chris Gayle: Gayle just does not seem to be the same player as he was in the last couple of years and his form will be crucial for the team in the all important encounter against CSK. But for a player like Gayle it only takes a couple of sighters to be back and if that happens, all that CSK can do is to play for their net runrate as the match is virtually over right there.
Muttiah Murlitharan: Bangalore has struggled with their bowling lineup this year and Murli can be the guy who can give them inspiration in that department. Murli bowled pretty well in the last match and would be looking to do the same against CSK.
Mitchel Starc: Starc has had a mixed tournament so far with the ball in hand but his greatest strength is his wicket taking ability and Bangalore will need all of that against CSK if they want to cross the line.
By Sajal Kumar Patra
Indian Sports News Network
