RCB vs CSK Playing 11: Who will take the field alongside MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru host Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru at 7:30 pm on Saturday.

The two teams are in contrasting positions in IPL 2025, with RCB aiming for a top spot on the points table, while CSK are already eliminated with about 3 weeks left in the tournament.

The hosts, led by Rajat Patidar, have won seven out of 10 matches, banking primarily on their bowlers. Josh Hazlewood is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal have repeatedly delivered in both the powerplay and the death overs. Spinners Suyash Sharma and Krunal Pandya have had a chokehold on the batters in the middle overs.


The batters have been led by veteran Virat Kohli, who is in the race for the Orange Cap. He has been supported well by Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar and Pandya. Tim David and Jitesh Sharma have provided powerful finishes to the innings.

CSK, on the other hand, have struggled in both departments. The MS Dhoni-led side has statistically been one of the worst in the powerplay phase. Young openers Ayush Mhtre and Sheikh Raheed impressed in the earlier matches, but have not got a big innings. Sam Curran was good with the bat in the previous innings. Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube have not been explosive in the middle order, while Deepak Hooda has not bought a run. MS Dhoni is still finishing innings with a few blows to the boundary.

The pacers, including Matheesha Pathirana, Curran and Overton have all been toothless with the ball. Khaleel Ahmed is the only one with regular wickets but has been expensive. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmed have also been inconsistent in their returns.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Playing 11 with impact sub

Phil Salt/Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Playing 11 with impact sub

Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni (c&wk), Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Anshul Kamboj

RCB vs CSK head to head record

RCB 12-21 CSK. The history is heavily in favour of CSK. However, RCB have won the last two encounters, including a thrilling virtual knockout clash at this venue 12 months ago