High on stakes, low on decibel

Bengaluru: Over the years, a clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings has always been an event within the main event. And in this part of the country, there has been no bigger contest in the IPL that satisfies the hype machine like this southern derby. 

However, the lead-up to the game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Sunday was devoid of the usual hype as a spoilt-for-choice RCB start favourites against a jittery CSK.

Purely on paper, RCB look more menacing than the Super Kings, who are trying to find their feet under a new philosophy. 

The hosts will enter the game brimming with confidence after laying down the marker on the opening night against Sunrisers Hyderabad, chasing down a 202-run target with more than four overs to spare. 

While Phil Salt will be eager to shrug off his indifferent form which he has carried on from the T20 World Cup, his partner, Virat Kohli showcased no signs of rust, having made a return to T20 cricket in over 10 months.

Devdutt Padikkal will march out happy after a momentum-shifting 26-ball 61, hoping to make more merry. 

The middle-order of Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma and Tim David have been striking it sweet in practice and will look to execute all plans to perfection. 

The 22-yard strip at the Chinnaswamy is expected to be on the flatter side, where batters can trust the bounce and hit through the line. 

On the bowling front, a new-ball attack led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy is not an easy proposition on any surface, let alone here, where it offered a bit of spongey bounce in the first innings before turning into a belter as the game progressed. 

Josh Hazlewood has ramped up his bowling intensity while Abhinandan Singh has also impressed the think tank by picking Kohli twice in two practice games.

If RCB seek variety, they have left-arm quick Mangesh Yadav gearing to make his debut. The spin duties will be shared by Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma. 

For the Super Kings, it will be a quick turnaround from their defeat to Punjab Kings on Friday. 

CSK have heavily invested on the youth but experienced bunch hasn’t done much either with the bat, including Sanju Samson and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad.  

But the bigger worry will be the struggle of their bowlers, who have looked nowhere close to being penetrative. 

“You cannot judge it based on results,” RCB vice-captain Jitesh Sharma told reporters on the eve of the game. “It’s all about the day. It can be anyone’s day. That’s a T20 beauty. We should respect all the opponents equally. Irrespective of whatever they have done in the past.”  

While the noise for an RCB-CSK game might not be high on volume this time, the stakes remain enormous.