Getty VISAKHAPATNAM, INDIA - MAY 10: Dwayne Bravo of the Chennai Super Kings celebrates taking the wicket of Axar Patel of the Delhi Capitals during the Indian Premier League IPL Qualifier Final match between the Delhi Capitals and the Chennai Super Kings at ACA-VDCA Stadium on May 10, 2019 in Visakhapatnam, India. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Chennai Super Kings already look like the only credible threat to Delhi Capitals winning the 2021 Indian Premier League title. The Super Kings are just two points off top spot and dealt defending champions the Mumbai Indians a blow after winning by 20 runs in the first match after the restart in the United Arab Emirates.
By contrast, Friday’s opponents the Royal Challengers Bangalore lost their opening match of the second phase, slipping to a nine-wicket defeat against suddenly in-form Kolkata Knight Riders. Captain Virat Kohli needs to solve problems in the batting order if the Challengers hope to fend off Chennai at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
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In the United States, the match (10 a.m. ET start time) won’t be on TV anywhere, but anyone in the US can watch Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Super Kings live on ESPN+:
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Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings Preview
Three Super Kings bowlers destroyed Mumbai batters last time out. Deepak Chahar led the way by bowling Quinton de Kock LBW and also sending Anmolpreet Singh packing. Chahar has 10 wickets to his credit this season, but he’s far from the only bowler the Challengers need to worry about.
Shardul Thakur proved his merit as a pacer who can put some swing on the ball when he bowled Suryakumar Yadav against the Indians. Thakur will attack the wicket with speed, but Dwayne Bravo remains Chennai’s ace in the hole thanks to his ability to deliver death bowling and wreck a chase. Bravo took three wickets from four overs against Mumbai, and the 37-year-old will challenge Bangalore’s lower order with mixed pace and a timely yorker or two.
Overcoming Bravo, Chahar and Thakur and still piling up runs will be tricky for the Challengers, who only managed 92 against the Knight Riders. Kohli needs more from middle-order big hitters Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. They notched a mere 10 runs from 18 balls, with De Villiers being bowled for a duck by Andre Russell.
Both Maxwell and De Villiers can do better, evidenced by the former having amassed 233 runs through eight games, including 21 fours and 10 sixes. A more prolific showing in the middle can happen if openers Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal make a stronger start. Padikkal was reasonably productive against Kolkata, managing 22 runs from 20 balls, but Kohli was bowled LBW by Pradish Krishna after putting just five on the board.
Bangalore’s best hope of victory is likely to involve trusting Harshal Patel with the ball. He’s leading the Purple Cap standings with 17 wickets, and few bowlers in the tournament are capable of varying the pace as effectively as the 30-year-old. Patel can attack Faf du Plessis early on, after the South Africa star was dismissed for a duck by Trent Boult in Chennai’s last match.
The Super Kings recovered from the early blow thanks to Ruturaj Gaikwad hitting an 88 not out from the middle order. Gaikwad managed a 151.72 strike rate against 58 deliveries. His efforts were also aided by Bravo entering the fray and hitting three sixes from eight balls.
Patel has a tough burden to shoulder trying to stymie a batting order this deep and talented. It’s a microcosm of the main problem facing Bangalore. The Challengers have lost two of their last three and simply don’t have the breadth of match winners to compete with a Super Kings team shaping up to be the class of the competition.