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Royal Challengers Bangalore have been in tremendous form this season, and are the only unbeaten team remaining in the tournament. Since the start of the season, RCB have beaten Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals.
The Kings come into Sunday’s clash on the back of three consecutive victories and are currently second in the table. CSK started their campaign with a loss against Delhi Capitals, but they have bounced back in style. The Men in Yellow have won their last three games against Punjab Kings, RR and KKR.
The Challengers secured a 10-wicket victory over the Royals owing to an incredible knock from Devdutt Padikkal. The uncapped Indian scored 101 runs off just 52 balls, and was adjudged the player of the match. Virat Kohli played an anchor’s role, and scored an unbeaten knock of 72 runs off just 47 balls. Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel continued their good form with the ball, as they both picked three wickets each to put RCB in the driver’s seat.
Chennai Super Kings earned a nail-biting victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, after they put up a strong score of 220 runs on the board. Deepak Chahar ran through KKR’s top order, picking up four wickets. Morgan’s men were reduced to a score of 31 runs for the loss of five wickets and were staring at a heavy defeat. However, Andre Russell, Dinesh Karthik and Pat Cummins scored some crucial knocks which kept their side in the game. They put up a valiant fight and lost by just 18 runs in the end.
Key Players
Virat Kohli regained his form with a good knock against RR. The RCB opener took some time to get settled in the middle, with Padikkal being the aggressor. However, Kohli found his timing towards the end of the innings, and scored a knock of 72 runs, which included 6 fours and three sixes. Virat Kohli got off to some good starts against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, scoring 33 runs on both occasions. The RCB skipper will need to perform on a consistent basis for his side, if they are to lift their maiden IPL title.
Mohammed Siraj has been in fantastic form this tournament, and has picked up five wickets in his four games at an average of just 18. The Indian pacer picked up three wickets against Rajasthan Royals, which included a key wicket of Jos Buttler. Siraj has also bowled well in the death overs, as was demonstrated by his brilliant over against Andre Russell last week. He is bowling with a huge amount of confidence, and Virat considers him as his go-to bowler for this season.
Faf du Plessis is the seventh-highest run-getter of the tournament so far, scoring 164 runs in his four games at an average of 82 and a strike rate in the mid-140s. The South African batsman hit top form against Kolkata Knight Riders, where he scored an unbeaten knock of 95 runs off just 60 balls, which included 9 fours and four sixes. He has been named the player of the match for his incredible knock, which helped Chennai claim their third consecutive victory.
Deepak Chahar has picked up eight wickets in the tournament so far, and has troubled the batters with the new ball. The Indian pacer picked up four wickets against KKR, which included key wickets of Shubman Gill, Nitish Rana and Eoin Morgan. The Chennai pacer also picked up four wickets against Punjab Kings, for which he was adjudged the player of the match. Chahar will hope to continue with his fine performances this season, with the ICC T20 World Cup coming up later this year.
Prediction
There is not much to separate the two teams ahead of their blockbuster clash on Sunday. The two sides have been in fantastic form this season and are playing with some confidence. RCB’s batting has certainly impressed in their last two games, with Kohli’s men scoring over 200 runs on a tough Chennai wicket.
Glenn Maxwell has solved RCB’s crisis in the middle order and has consistently scored in all of his three innings. On the other hand, Chennai Super Kings’ batting has also been up to the mark so far, with their top order firing on all cylinders.
Moeen Ali has had an immediate impact this season and has played some useful cameos so far, coming in at number three. Moreover, he has been a handy option with the ball and has done the job for his side.
The match will be a high scoring affair, as both teams have some world-class batters. After he rediscovered his form in the last game, Kohli would look to pile on the runs.
