It's Virat Kohli versus MS Dhoni as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set for a kickoff with the blockbuster curtain-raiser between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday. Five-time winners CSK will host Kohli-starrer RCB in match No.1 of the IPL 2024 at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium aka the Chepauk.
CSK confirmed a change in leadership before the meeting between the two giants on the eve of the IPL 2024 opener. Legendary cricketer MS Dhoni has stepped down as CSK's captain. Dhoni has handpicked opener Ruturaj Gaikwad as his successor for IPL 2024. The former India skipper and five-time IPL winner with CSK is in speculation about finishing up his career after the 2024 season.
Can Gaikwad extend CSK's winning run at Chepauk?
With Dhoni making way for Gaikwad, the Indian opener will hope to extend Chennai's impressive home record against RCB. The last time RCB outclassed CSK at Chepauk was in the 2008 season of the cash-rich league. CSK have handed RCB back-to-back seven defeats in their fortress. The IPL 2024 opener will announce the returns of Dhoni and Kohli. While Dhoni is returning to competitive cricket after nearly a year, Kohli missed India's entire Test series against England due to personal reasons.
Jadeja vs Maxwell; CSK without Pathirana
{{/usCountry}}With Dhoni making way for Gaikwad, the Indian opener will hope to extend Chennai's impressive home record against RCB. The last time RCB outclassed CSK at Chepauk was in the 2008 season of the cash-rich league. CSK have handed RCB back-to-back seven defeats in their fortress. The IPL 2024 opener will announce the returns of Dhoni and Kohli. While Dhoni is returning to competitive cricket after nearly a year, Kohli missed India's entire Test series against England due to personal reasons.
Jadeja vs Maxwell; CSK without Pathirana
{{/usCountry}}CSK will miss the services of Sri Lanka's Matheesha Pathirana. The CSK pacer will miss a few games due to a hamstring injury. All-rounder Shivam Dube has regained fitness after missing the knockout games of the Ranji Trophy. Former CSK skipper Ravindra Jadeja will resume his duel with Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell. Former CSK skipper Jadeja has dismissed the RCB star on six occasions in 51 balls.
Kohli can break Dhawan's record
Returning Kohli will target Shikhar Dhawan's record at the Chepauk on Friday. The former RCB skipper only needs to score 73 runs to topple Dhawan, who is the top run-getter against CSK in IPL. Dhawan has amassed 1057 runs while Kohli accumulated 985 runs against CSK at the IPL. Kohli will also aim to improve his powerplay record against spin bowlers in Chennai. The 35-year-old has 15 runs under his belt in 23 balls of the powerplay. He has been dismissed twice for cheap in the powerplay.
H2H record
Matches played: 30
CSK won: 20
RCB won: 10
No result: 1