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Ruturaj Gaikward, a rising star and opening batsman for the Yellow Army, is the new leader of the defending champions and the most successful team in the IPL. With new challenges and a lot of baggage on their shoulder, It’s a season of testing waters for Gaikward.

Match Report: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings

In a thrilling encounter between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings, CSK emerged victorious with six wickets and eight balls to spare.

Winning the toss, Royal Challengers opted to bat first but struggled to get going against a disciplined bowling attack from Super Kings. Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the bowlers, scalping four crucial wickets and restricting the Royal Challengers Bangalore to a modest total of 173/6 in their allotted 20 overs.

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Glenn Maxwell fell cheaply, failing to capitalize on their starts. Dinesh Karthik provided some resistance with 38 runs off 26 balls, while Anuj Rawat’s aggressive knock of 48 off 25 balls propelled Royal Challengers to a respectable total.

Chasing 174 for victory, Super Kings got off to a shaky start, losing Ruturaj Gaikwad early. However, a brilliant partnership between Rachin Ravindra and Ajinkya Rahane steadied the innings. Ravindra’s explosive innings of 37 off 15 balls and Rahane’s composed 27 laid the foundation for the chase.

Despite losing a few wickets in quick succession, the Super Kings kept their nerve with contributions from Daryl Mitchell and Shivam Dube. Mustafizur’s clinical performance with the ball, taking crucial wickets, was one of the major contributions to the team’s victory, which earned him the Player of the Match award.

Ultimately, Chennai Super Kings’ clinical performance showcased their depth and resilience. On the other hand, Royal Challengers Bangalore will need to regroup and address their batting woes to bounce back in the tournament.

READ MORE: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) History, Legends, fanbase

However, as we advance, CSK will face former Champions Gujrat Titans next on the 26th of March. Moreover, RCB is headed to their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, to face Punjab Kings on 25th March.

Over the years, the IPL has seen some dominant teams emerge as champions. The Mumbai Indians have won the most titles, with five championships. Second in line is Chennai Super Kings, winning four titles, along with Kolkata Knight Riders, who have won 2 titles. However, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have won one title each.

Teams in IPL

The Indian Premier League, or IPL, has been home to some of the most iconic franchises in cricket. Since its inception in 2008, the league has seen the rise and fall of many teams, each with its unique style of play and fan following. Here’s a look at all the teams that have been associated with the IPL over the years:

1. Chennai Super Kings (CSK): Founded in 2008, CSK is one of the most successful teams in the history of the IPL, winning the title four times. Besides being led by the charismatic MS Dhoni, CSK has a large and passionate fan base. Moreover, it is a team famous for its consistent performance and strategic approach to the game.
2. Delhi Capitals (DC): Formerly known as the Delhi Daredevils, the franchise rebranded itself as Delhi Capitals in 2019. Despite never winning the title, DC has been a competitive team over the years, with a strong squad of young and upcoming talent.
3. Punjab Kings: Based in Mohali, KXIP has had a mixed record in the IPL. Their best finish came as runners-up in 2014. The team is currently led by Shikhar Dhawan; the team has a loyal fan base and is known for its aggressive style of play. Initially, the team was named Kings XI Punjab (KXIP).
4. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR): Owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, KKR is one of the most popular and successful teams in the IPL. However, the team did not have the best of seasons initially. Although, after the mega auction in 2011, KKR restructured their team around Gautam Gambhir. This move led to the re-birth resulting in two title victories in 2012-2014. KKR has a massive fan following across the country.
5. Mumbai Indians (MI): The most successful team in the history of the IPL, MI is a five-time champion, including back-to-back titles in 2019 and 2020. Led by Rohit Sharma, MI has a star-studded squad and is famous for its dominant performances and strong team spirit.
6. Rajasthan Royals (RR): The first-ever champions of the IPL, RR has had a tumultuous history in the league. This is a team with young talents and experienced veterans. Shane Warne, Shane Watson and Rahul Dravid are a few prominent names that belong to the blue brigade. Currently, Sanju Samson is leading the squad, and the team looks in good form to qualify further in the 2023 season.
7. Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB): Aggression and flamboyancy are synonyms for RCB gameplay. RCB has a large and passionate fan following. Despite never winning the title, the team has been home to some of the biggest names in world cricket, including Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. However, their best performances came in the years 2009, 2011 and 2016, reaching finals. RCB has the most loyal fan base. Currently, the team is struggling in mid-tables with hopes of qualifying for Playoffs.
8. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH): Based in Hyderabad, SRH has been one of the most consistent teams in the IPL. Under the leadership of David Warner team won a title in 2016 and finished runners-up in 2018. The team has a strong squad of international talent. Despite this, the team is at the bottom of the points table under the leadership of Aiden Makram.
9. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG): It is one of the two newest addition to the team’s tally in IPL; the franchise belongs to RPSG Group. In its debut season of 2022, they finished in the top four. The team is under the leadership of KL Rahul, who apparently is out of the 2023 season due to a thigh injury. In the 2023 remaining season, Krunal Pandya is the interim captain.
10. Gujrat Titans (GT): GT debuting alongside LSG, is on a roll, including the seasons 2022 and 2023. Led by Hardik Pandya, GT is the defending champion for the 2023 season. Also, they are sitting comfortably on top of the points table and are looking in great form to reach another playoff.

Top performers in the league

IPL includes a number of talented performers in both departments. Virat Kohli is on top of the tally in the league with 7000 + runs. Shikhar Dhawan is 2nd in the list with 6500+ runs. Similarly, in the bowling department, the top spot is a tie between Yuzvendra Chahal and Dwayne Bravo with 183 wickets. However, Chahal will likely take over the top spot before the 2023 season concludes.

The IPL has a massive impact on the cricketing landscape, not just in India but worldwide. The league has helped unearth some of the world’s most talented players providing a platform for young players to showcase their skills. The IPL is a massive commercial success, with top players being paid vast sums of money to play in the league.

The controversy surrounding the “Cash Rich” tournament

Along with glitz and glamour comes a package of controversies. IPL is also a victim of match-fixing and corruption. With match-fixing scandals, several players and teams were banned from the league. The most high-profile case is the 2013 spot-fixing scandal, which resulted in the Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals facing suspension from the league for two years.

However, the board has made a lot of changes in the governing council to maintain a fair play environment. It’ll be interesting to see how things turn out going forward.

Whether it’s the nail-biting finishes, the big-hitting action, or the intense rivalries, the IPL has something for everyone. It has been a thrilling ride so far, and there’s no doubt that the future of the league looks bright.

READ MORE: Simon Katich quits from SRH

With the competition set to continue for years to come, fans can look forward to many more exciting moments in the world of the Indian Premier League.

CSK led by Mahendra Singh Dhoni will be looking to equalize the number of title wins with Mumbai Indian. During the mega auction, CSK retained most of its old players. But the highlight of the entire 2 days was when Chinnathala Suresh Raina remained unsold. Tamil-based franchise faced a lot of heat from CSK fans for not even trying to purchase the IPL Legend.

What to expect?

Chennai Super Kings will always remain hot favorites to win the tournament. Charismatic MSD and his brilliance in captaincy will always remain a concern for other teams. As the Whistle Podu team had a buy back IPL auction, things remain to be similar in the dressing room.

Area of Concern.

CSK has always backed it players which is quite visible in their performances. Team has been a regular name in the list of Play offs. Also there hasn’t been much change in the management.

Not much of new talent

Chennai Super Kings still is a “Dad’s Army”. They do have a little pack of new faces, but they will require mentoring and Dhoni will have a huge task up his sleeves. It’ll be interesting to see how captain cool shuffles his players throughout the tournament. And will we see a rising star from the Chennai camp?

Chennai Super Kings Matches

CSK VS KKR- 26th March
LSG VS CSK- 31st March
CSK VS PKBS-3rd April
CSK VS SRH- 9th April
CSK VS RCB- 12th April
GT VS CSK-17th April
MI VS CSK- 21st April
Punjab Vs CSK- 25th April
SRH VS CSK- 1st May
RCB VS CSK- 4th May
CSK VS DC- 8th May
CSK VS MI- 12th May
CSK VS GT- 15th May
RR VS CSK- 20 May

Chennai Super Kings Team

MS Dhoni(Captain), Ravindra Jadeja, Moeen Ali, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Dwayne Bravo, Ambati Rayudu, Robin Uthappa, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Tushar Deshpande, KM Asif, Shivam Dube, Maheesh Theekshana, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Samarjeet Singh, Devon Conway, Dwaine Pretorius, Mitchell Santner, Subhranshu Senapati, Adam Milne, Mukesh Choudhary, Prashant Solanki, C Hari Nishaanth, N Jagadeesan, Chris Jordan, K Bhagath Varma.

Its time to pull out your jerseys from the cupboard and blow some air, and let that whistle Podu. Which encounter are you most willing to witness? Do you think that CSK has what it takes to be a champion one more time? Mark your calender as the biggest cricket carnival begins on March 26th live on Star Sports Network.

The schedule was finalized on Thursday night. The management said that the league games will be divided into 2 cities namely Mumbai and Pune with 2 stadiums each. The four stadiums shortlisted are the Wankhede Stadium and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, the DY Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai, and the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Gahunje, in the outskirts of Pune – will host the league phase featuring 70 matches.

The venues for the playoffs are under review and will be finalized after considering the pandemic situation in the country. The Governing Council also decided to keep open the option of allowing crowds to attend the matches, subject to permission from the Maharashtra government.

The IPL schedule is most likely to release in the first week of March. The tournament will be played between 10 teams which include two new franchises Lucknow Super Giants and Gujrat Titans. Both teams were added last year in the month of October. Since the debacle last year during the course of the tournament, the tournament was halted mid-season and shifted to UAE in Sept-Oct.

All teams unanimously decided in the favour of BBCI to host the tournament in India. All teams agreed to limit the tournament in one city. BCCI also stated that the reason for the breach of the secure bio bubble was due to excessive travel.

As for the format during the league phase, it could not be confirmed whether the IPL will follow the 2011 concept, the first time the tournament featured 10 teams.

In the 2011 edition, the 10 teams were split into two loose groups, and the tournament comprised 70 league matches and four playoff games, with all the teams ranked in one composite league table. During the league phase, every team played the same number of league matches, which was 14.

Each team played the other four in their group both home and away (eight matches), four of the teams in the other group once each (four matches, either home or away), and the remaining team in the other group twice, both home and away.

A random draw decided the composition of the groups as well as who played whom across the groups once and twice.

We’ll have to wait and see what the management decides and what are the decisions they make. Which team are you most looking forward to cheering for this season?

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