Sports

RCB Aims to Break 17-Year Chepauk Curse Against Spin-Dominant CSK

Published

12 months ago

March 28, 2025

Seventeen years is quite a stretch. Over this time, the Chennai Super Kings have captured the Indian Premier League (IPL) title five times, enduring a two-year suspension in the process, while the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) remain in pursuit of their first championship. The consistent factor for both teams throughout this duration has been two legends—Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli—serving as the pivotal forces for their respective franchises.

As the IPL 2025 season unfolds, RCB is eager to kick off their campaign on the right note. They are set to make history when they face the cunning CSK spin attack in a crucial match at Chepauk on Friday. It’s been 17 long years since RCB last celebrated victory at this venue, with their only win occurring in the inaugural season back in 2008.

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However, conquering the Super Kings’ stronghold is no easy feat. Designed to excel in familiar conditions, CSK has once again crafted a formidable spin trio suited for the slow and gripping Chepauk pitch. Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin—who rejoined the squad in last year’s auction—and Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad combined brilliantly, taking five wickets in 11 overs during CSK’s recent victory over the Mumbai Indians.

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With spin expected to dominate the game, RCB’s experienced batting lineup must display finesse rather than just raw power. Virat Kohli will be crucial to their efforts. Although he has faced difficulties against spin in the past, the former RCB captain has enhanced his skills over the years, incorporating sweep shots and slog-sweeps into his playbook. This evolution will be vital for RCB to counter CSK’s spin attack.

Nevertheless, Kohli can’t carry the team alone. Players like Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, and Jitesh Sharma need to elevate their performances. A potential adjustment to the lineup could involve bringing in Jacob Bethell, who provides a left-handed alternative and can bowl part-time spin, in place of Tim David, particularly given the conditions.

RCB will also keep an eye on the fitness of seasoned fast bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who missed their last match due to a minor injury. If he’s fit, he might replace Rasikh Salam to strengthen the pace attack.

Meanwhile, Chennai will be looking for a more cohesive effort from their batting lineup. While Rachin Ravindra and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad appeared in good form, the middle order stumbled against Mumbai. CSK will seek significant contributions from Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, and Sam Curran to support their top-order performance. And if needed, MS Dhoni’s finishing skills could come into play once again.

On the bowling side, CSK will monitor Matheesha Pathirana’s fitness closely. Should the Sri Lankan fast bowler be ready, he could come in for Nathan Ellis, enhancing an already well-rounded attack.

Friday’s match promises to be a classic showdown—a battle between RCB’s determination to break a lengthy curse at Chennai and CSK’s ambition to maintain their stronghold on home soil.

Squads:

Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja, Shivam Dube, Matheesha Pathirana, Noor Ahmad, Ravichandran Ashwin, Devon Conway, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Vijay Shankar, Sam Curran, Shaik Rashid, Anshul Kamboj, Mukesh Choudhary, Deepak Hooda, Gurjanpreet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishnan Ghosh, Shreyas Gopal, Vansh Bedi, Andre Siddarth.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.

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Sports

Suryakumar,Gambhir and Jay Shah Visit Hanuman Temple after wining World cup

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Namma Kudla

Sports: After India’s historic victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav, head coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC chairman Jay Shah visited a Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad and offered special prayers. The trio carried the World Cup trophy and sought the blessings of Lord Hanuman after India’s memorable win.

The visit came a day after India defeated New Zealand in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. With this victory, India lifted its record third T20 World Cup title and created history in international cricket.

After losing the toss, India was asked to bat first by New Zealand. India got off to a strong start as Abhishek Sharma played a brilliant innings. He scored 52 runs from just 21 balls, hitting six boundaries and three sixes. His aggressive batting gave India early momentum.

Sanju Samson then continued the strong performance and built an important partnership with Abhishek Sharma. Later, Samson also shared a century partnership with Ishan Kishan, who played a powerful knock. Ishan Kishan scored 54 runs from 25 balls with four boundaries and four sixes. Their partnership helped India cross the 200-run mark by the 16th over.

Although India lost a few quick wickets later, Shivam Dube played a crucial cameo. He scored 26 runs from just 8 balls, including three boundaries and two sixes. His quick runs helped India finish with a massive total of 255 runs for the loss of five wickets. This became the highest total ever recorded in a T20 World Cup final.

Chasing a huge target of 256 runs, New Zealand struggled under pressure. Indian bowlers delivered an outstanding performance to restrict the opposition. Axar Patel took three wickets for 23 runs, while Jasprit Bumrah was the star with four wickets for just 15 runs.

For New Zealand, Tim Seifert fought hard and scored 52 runs from 26 balls with two boundaries and five sixes. Daryl Mitchell scored 17 runs, while captain Mitchell Santner made 43 runs from 35 balls. However, the rest of the batting lineup failed to build partnerships.

As a result, New Zealand were bowled out for 159 runs and suffered a heavy defeat. India won the match by 96 runs and celebrated one of the biggest victories in T20 World Cup history.

Following the victory, captain Suryakumar Yadav, coach Gautam Gambhir and ICC chairman Jay Shah visited the Hanuman temple in Ahmedabad with the trophy. They offered special prayers and thanked the deity for the team’s historic achievement. The visit reflected the team’s gratitude after winning the prestigious global tournament.

Sports

Ishan Kishan Plays World Cup Final Despite Personal Loss

Published

2 days ago

March 9, 2026

Namma Kudla

Mumbai: Ishan Kishan helped India win the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 despite the death of his brother-in-law in a car accident two days before the final.

Because of the tragedy, his father Pranav Pandey could not travel to Ahmedabad for the match. Kishan also wanted to be with his family but stayed with the team due to the responsibility of the final.

In the final, Kishan played a brilliant innings and scored 54 runs off 25 balls. After reaching his half-century, he looked at the sky to pay tribute to his late brother-in-law.

He also took two important catches to dismiss Rachin Ravindra and Tim Seifert of New Zealand national cricket team.

Kishan finished the tournament with 317 runs in nine innings and became the fourth-highest run scorer.

Sports

ICC Men’s T20 World Cup: Pakistan Knocked Out, New Zealand Enter Semifinals

Published

1 week ago

March 1, 2026

Namma Kudla

Mumbai: Pakistan have been knocked out of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup despite securing a narrow win over Sri Lanka. With this result, New Zealand advanced to the semifinals from the Super Eight group.

In the Super Eight match held at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Pakistan batted first and posted a strong total of 212 for 8 in 20 overs.

Openers Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman gave Pakistan a flying start. They added 176 runs for the opening wicket. This became the highest opening partnership in the tournament’s history.

Farhan scored a brilliant 100 off 60 balls. He became the first player to score two centuries in a single edition of the tournament. Fakhar Zaman supported him well with 84 runs off 42 balls.

Chasing a target of 213 runs, Sri Lanka fought hard but fell short by 5 runs.

Sri Lanka had a poor start. Pathum Nissanka was dismissed for just 3 runs. Kamil Mishara scored 26 runs, while Charith Asalanka added 25 runs to steady the innings.

Later, Pawan Rathnayake and Dasun Shanaka played attacking knocks. Rathnayake scored 58 runs off 37 balls with four fours and three sixes. Shanaka smashed 76 runs off 31 balls, including eight sixes and two fours. Their partnership raised hopes of a Sri Lankan victory.

However, Pakistan bowlers held their nerve in the final overs. Tight bowling at the death ensured a narrow five-run win for Pakistan.

Despite the victory, Pakistan were eliminated from the tournament due to net run rate. As a result, New Zealand secured the second semifinal spot from the group.