Bengaluru, May 3 (UNI) Chennai Super Kings won the toss and elected to field first, with Lungi Ngidi making his return to the XI for Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
MS Dhoni, leading CSK, said the focus was on making the most of the final few games, with an eye on future team combinations. “Yes, we want to win games, but getting the most out of the four games is important,” Dhoni noted, indicating a balance between experimentation and competitiveness.
Describing the surface as “tacky” due to extended cover, Dhoni suggested it would ease out later, becoming favourable for batting. “It is important to express but the batters need to play to their strengths… if you are a bowler, don’t think ‘what if the execution is not right’, make a plan and bowl with full confidence,” he added. CSK named an unchanged XI.
Rajat Patidar, leading the opposition, admitted they would have preferred to bowl too but expected the wicket to hold steady. “We will try to put a good total on the board and keep them under pressure,” he said. Ngidi replaced Josh Hazlewood in the only change for the visitors.
Both sides are treating their final four league games with intent, regardless of qualification scenarios.
Teams:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal
Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh
Chennai Super Kings (Playing XI): Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni(w/c), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana
Impact Subs: Shivam Dube, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton
