Match details
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Chennai, 20:00 IST (1430 GMT)
Big picture: Can RCB break the Chennai jinx?
It was only last month that Faf du Plessis played a blinder to put Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 playoffs. And four months from now, he will be wearing yellow again for Texas Super Kings and teaming up with coach Stephen Fleming. Their history goes back to 2011, when Chennai Super Kings first signed du Plessis even before he had played international cricket for South Africa.
But right now, for the duration of this IPL, du Plessis has shed his yellow second skin for the red and blue of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Once a crowd favourite at Chepauk, he will play his first game as RCB captain in Chennai on Friday. However, his counterpart will not be the man du Plessis would have expected to go up against.
On the eve of the IPL 2024 season opener, du Plessis’ former opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad was announced as CSK’s captain, replacing MS Dhoni, just hours before the teams arrived for training.
Gaikwad has a proud record to defend because the odds are stacked against RCB in Chennai. The last time they beat CSK at Chepauk was back in the first IPL season, in 2008, when Fleming was still a player. RCB have lost seven on the trot since. In their most recent fixture there in 2019, they were spun out for 70 in 17.1 overs. That RCB made CSK work until the 18th over of the chase for victory was down to Yuzvendra Chahal and Moeen Ali.
