CSK vs RCB, IPL 2024 Highlights: Dube, Jadeja steer Chennai Super Kings to comfortable six-wicket victory

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru toss news: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss, and skipper Faf du Plessis opted to bat on what he described as a good pitch to bat on.

It was a unique sight to behold at the toss as Ruturaj Gaikwad walked out as captain of the ‘Yellow Army’ for the first time, following MS Dhoni’s landmark decision to step down as captain on the eve of the season opener.

Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru preview: The opening match of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is set to be a historic affair.

The IPL 2024 season opener, which takes place at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium following a star-studded opening ceremony at the same venue, will be RCB’s first match under a new name, opting for ‘Bengaluru’ instead of Bangalore while retaining their initials.

More importantly, the match will mark the beginning of a new era with Ruturaj Gaikwad set to lead the five-time champions for the first time after legendary wicketkeeper-captain MS Dhoni’s shock decision to step down from leadership on the eve of the match.

Dhoni was widely believed to have made his final IPL apearance last year, guiding CSK to their fifth title after beating then-defending champions Gujarat Titans in thrilling fashion in the final.

However, while CSK retained Dhoni in their squad ahead of the player auction in Dubai, officially confirming his participation in another edition of the league, ‘Thala’ will be representing the ‘Yellow Army’ without the ‘C’ next to his name for only the second time in the history of the league.

Dhoni had briefly stepped down from leadership in the 2022 season, handing the reins of the franchise over to Ravindra Jadeja only to take it back a month later after the team’s fortunes began to nosedive. This time however, Dhoni is expected to let Gaikwad do his thing throughout the season though he will continue to have a major say in CSK’s team planning as well as on-field decisions.

The upcoming match will mark the first time in the history of the IPL that neither Dhoni nor Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma are captaining a side. Kohli had stepped down as RCB skipper at the end of the 2021 season, with former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis assuming charge since then.

MI underwent a leadership change more recently with all-rounder Hardik Pandya succeeding Rohit as the skipper following his blockbuster trade from Gujarat Titans, whom he led to back-to-back finals including the title on debut in 2022.

Playing XIs:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Anuj Rawat, Karn Sharma, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj