The 49th match of the IPL 2022 will see Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) clashing once again with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), this time at the MCA stadium in Pune, on May 4, 2022. RCB had lost to CSK in their previous meeting.
CSK got back to winning ways as MS Dhoni returned to captain the side, while RCB were elated with Virat Kohli getting some runs in his kitty in their last match. RCB are on a three-match losing streak and would be eager to break it.
BCCI announces schedule for IPL 2022 playoffs and Women's T20 Challenge
RCB are placed 6th on the points table with 5 wins in 10 matches, while CSK has three wins in 9 matches.
Keeping this in mind, here is the COC Predicted Playing XIs for the RCB v CSK match.
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE
RCB are without a win in 14 days and would be eager to get back to winning ways before it's too late for the playoffs. Virat Kohli found some form, but captain Faf du Plessis has been inconsistent off late as 184 of his 278 runs came in just two matches.
Rajat Patidar was one more positive that came out of their previous match. Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik, and Shahbaz Ahmed have all showed their class and batting form in previous encounters, while Mahipal Lomror played a brilliant cameo in his first match of the season.
Hasaranga has been in good form and picking wickets, but is lacking support from the other side in terms of the flow of runs. Harshal Patel and Josh Hazlewood have been in top form with the ball, while Mohammed Siraj has struggled for consistency.
Not many changes are expected for RCB, as this is a must-win match for them to stay in contention for playoffs.
CHENNAI SUPER KINGS
Though they have an outside chance of making it into the playoffs, Chennai Super Kings are now focusing on enjoying their remaining matches, which was evident from their win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.
The focus and intent was there, but the negativity was gone with the calm and cool MS Dhoni back at the helm of things, the defending champions had renewed energy flowing through.
Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway batted extremely well. Moeen Ali and Shivam Dube are expected to return to the XI after missing out with injuries. Robin Uthappa and Ambati Rayudu lend valuable experience in the batting order, while MS Dhoni is the rock on which the team is built.
Expect Ravindra Jadeja to flourish once more, free of captaincy burden. However, it remains to be seen whether Dwayne Bravo comes back into the playing XI or not.
Dwaine Pretorius has done well in his absence, with Maheesh Theekshana for company. Mukesh Choudhary has cemented his place in the XI with impressive performances.
RCB COC Predicted Playing XI:
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
CSK COC Predicted Playing XI:
Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni (C-WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwaine Pretorius, Maheesh Theekshana, Mukesh Choudhary
