Cricket fans in the city are in for a treat, as the marquee clash of the IPL comes to town on Wednesday. Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore takes on M.S. Dhoni and his Chennai Super Kings mates in what should be an electric night out at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here.
“It’s a special match. There is a lot of interest and emotion involved, given the proximity of the two cities. It is an occasion that our players really enjoy,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said.
“We’ve had some great encounters over the years, and tomorrow will be no different. This year, we’ve got a couple more wins than RCB, so we have a little more winning form. But given the quality in the RCB line-up, we expect this to be one of toughest games of the season.”
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RCB comes into the fixture on the back of a victory against Delhi Daredevils on Saturday, which injected some life into its stuttering campaign. It was a swashbuckling unbeaten 90 from A.B. de Villiers which made the difference, and the franchisee will need the South African to deliver the goods once more.
Kohli threat
Kohli looked well set on 30 against DD before falling to a stunning Trent Boult catch. CSK will be well aware of the threat that Kohli poses. de Villiers, perhaps, in an effort to ease the pressure on his less-experienced teammates, sought to play down the significance of the match.
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“I won’t say it’s the highlight of the season, or the final, or anything like that. We’re just taking it one game at a time,” de Villiers said.
The South African explained that a victory over CSK would come as a big boost to RCB. “Having won two out of five matches, we are in a spot of bother. CSK have been playing well, and we’ve gained momentum from our win in the last game. Hopefully, we can carry that forward,” said de Villiers.
The visitor, meanwhile, is on a roll, having notched up four victories in five matches. If RCB has been heavily reliant on de Villiers and Kohli, CSK has a collection of match-winners at its disposal.
Four different players — Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Sam Billings and Dwayne Bravo — have received the ‘Man-of-the-Match’ awards thus far, a sign that this is a well balanced side.
And of course, the ace in the pack — Dhoni — can be pulled out at any time to make the opponent fold.
PTI adds
Wake-up call for umpires
Taking strong exception to a few umpiring howlers in the ongoing IPL, the league’s chairman Rajiv Shukla is learnt to have told match referees to speak to umpires about staying more vigilant during matches.
“These things do happen sometimes, but still the IPL chairman has spoken to match referees and asked them to speak to the umpires,” a source close to Shukla said on the sidelines of the match between Kings XI Punjab and Delhi Daredevils on Monday.
The match between Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad saw a seven-ball over two weeks ago.
There was a clear no ball bowled during the game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, but it escaped the umpire’s attention. To minimise errors, the umpires have apparently been advised to take the help of technology, if needed.