Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey

RCB vs CSK Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: IPL 2022 Match 49 | BLR vs CSK Dream11 Prediction Today | Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings Key Players | Pune Pitch Report

Two franchises with arguably the most passionate fanbases in the league go head-to-head in a crucial battle in the race for the top four. Royal Challengers Bangalore, who were well placed just a few games ago, have slipped quite badly, while Chennai Super Kings have started to pick themselves up and will want to start sprinting.

A win for RCB puts them back in the top four. And they desperately need it after three straight defeats. Sunrisers Hyderabad will have two games in hand over them, but points on the board is vital to put pressure on the other teams. Rajat Patidar was the star for RCB with the bat against Gujarat over the weekend, while more is required from Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Virat Kohli, who himself picked up a long-awaited half-century.

A win for CSK puts them four points behind fourth-placed SRH in the IPL 2022 table. Such a situation may have been unthinkable a few games ago, but as Ruturaj Gaikwad and Devon Conway showed in a huge onslaught the other night, CSK can turn it on at any moment. MS Dhoni is back at the helm, and if he can help continue the resurgence as leader and captain, it might end up being one of his brilliant achievements. Long way to go yet, however.

Possible Playing 11

RCB are likely to go in with an unchanged XI.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1. Faf du Plessis (c), 2. Virat Kohli, 3. Rajat Patidar, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6. Shahbaz Ahmed, 7. Mahipal Lomror, 8. Wanindu Hasaranga, 9. Harshal Patel, 10. Josh Hazlewood, 11. Mohammed Siraj

Dwayne Bravo is a chance of returning after missing the last match with injury. Also Moeen Ali is reportedly back in training after an injury concern.

Chennai Super Kings: 1. Ruturaj Gaikwad, 2. Devon Conway, 3. Robin Uthappa, 4. Ambati Rayudu, 5. Ravindra Jadeja, 6. MS Dhoni (c & wk), 7. Mitchell Santner/Dwayne Bravo, 8. Simarjeet Singh, 9. Dwaine Pretorius, 10. Mukesh Choudhary, 11. Maheesh Theekshana

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

• 184 of Faf du Plessis’ 278 runs this season have come in two innings. RCB need him to perform against his former side today. He has a poor record at Pune (8 inns, 143 runs, avg. 17.88, SR 98.62). Can he turn this around?
• du Plessis was out to the left-arm seam of Sangwan on the weekend, so his battle with Mukesh Choudhary will be key. One feels Faf needs to get through the powerplay, as he has struggled in this period in 2022: 104 runs, avg. 20.80, SR 85.24.
• Virat Kohli, who scored 58 vs GT, is 37 runs away from 1,000 against CSK. He averages 38.52 with a strike rate of 126.71. Rajat Patidar also scored a half-century vs GT, and it was more impactful (52 off 32 balls).
• Dinesh Karthik has struck four 20+ scores in his past five innings vs CSK. Even though DK has fallen away in recent matches, his overall numbers this season are still fantastic (218 runs at a strike rate of 194.64), with 163 of those coming against pace at a strike rate of 236.23 and one dismissal.
• Wanindu Hasaranga (15 wickets) is only behind Kagiso Rabada (17) in terms of wickets by overseas bowlers this season. He has taken 13 wickets at an economy rate of 7.60 in the middle overs – a period where CSK look to accelerate.
• Josh Hazlewood vs Gaikwad will be a key battle. He dismissed him earlier this season. In fact, nine of Hazlewood’s 10 wickets this season have been right-handers. He averages 8.33 against them at an economy of 5.42.
• Harshal Patel for RCB vs CSK: 5 matches, 9 wickets, avg. 16.56, econ. 7.84.

Chennai Super Kings:

• Ruturaj Gaikwad was in sublime form on Sunday against a capable SRH attack, smashing 99 off 57 balls on this ground. He also struck 73 (48) at Pune earlier in IPL 2022, so he enjoys batting at his home ground.
• Gaikwad has struck 153 runs in four innings vs RCB at an average of 51.00 and strike rate of 129.66. He has taken 37 off 28 against Mohammed Siraj without dismissal.
• Devon Conway’s 55-ball 85* gave CSK the kind of impetus they have been missing this season. He is capable of firing again when you consider only one of Hazlewood’s 10 wickets have been left-handers this season.
• Robin Uthappa smashed 88 off 50 balls against RCB earlier this season. He has the second-most runs of any player at Pune, with 543 in 20 innings at an average of 28.58 and strike rate of 123.97.
• Can Ravindra Jadeja deliver without the captaincy? He has excellent head-to-head matchups against RCB’s key players. With the bat, he has scored 56 off 23 against Harshal (no dismissal), 19 off 21 vs Siraj (no dismissal) and 25 off 9 vs Hazlewood (no dismissal).
• With the ball, Jadeja has dismissed Maxwell seven times in 53 deliveries. He has also dismissed Kohli thrice (123 deliveries, batting SR 108.1) and Karthik thrice (75 deliveries, batting SR 158.7).
• Mukesh Choudhary took four wickets in the last match, taking his tally for the season to 11 wickets. He will be key against RCB’s up-and-down top order in the powerplay. Maheesh Theekshana could also be key, as he took 4/33 against RCB earlier in the season with two wickets in the powerplay including skipper du Plessis.

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 30, CSK 20, RCB 9, N/R 1.
• CSK (216/4) beat RCB (193/9) earlier this season. Shivam Dube struck 95* off 46 balls.
• MS Dhoni has magnificent numbers for CSK against RCB. The captain has smashed 748 runs in 27 innings at an average of 41.56 and strike rate of 145.53.
• RCB have struggled against top eight batsmen in overs 17-20. Harshal has an economy rate of 11.52, Siraj 16 and Hazlewood 15.23.
• Ambati Rayudu vs RCB since 2018: 8 inns, 298 runs, avg. 37.25, SR 121.63. He has struck scores of 46, 40 and 78 in his past three innings in IPL 2022.
• Glenn Maxwell is yet to make the same impact as he did last season. He has crossed double figures five times in his past six innings, but has gone past 30 just twice. Maxwell did look good against CSK earlier this season, before losing his wicket against the run of play. He scored 26 off 11 balls.
• Wanindu Hasaranga has taken five wickets in three matches on this ground at an economy rate of 6.50.

Maharashtra Cricket Association Pune Pitch Report and Weather

CSK belted 202/2 on a terrific batting surface at Pune on Sunday. SRH replied with 189/6. The average first innings score on this ground this season is 173.22, with the team batting first winning six of the nine matches, including the past three.

According to Cricbuzz, humidity is expected to be lower at around 31%. So, there could be less dew.

RCB vs CSK Dream11 Prediction 4 May 2022

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Dinesh Karthik
• Batsmen: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Virat Kohli
• All-rounders: Ravindra Jadeja, Glenn Maxwell
• Bowlers: Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mukesh Choudhary

Match Prediction

Tough match to predict given CSK are on the up while RCB can turn things around. A score of 170-180 might be tough to chase, so the team batting first needs to put up a good total.