Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) will face-off against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the opening match of the 12th season of Indian Premier League (VIVO IPL 2019) on 23rd March 2019 at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Chennai Super Kings are making a return to their home ground. Banned for two years for 2016-2017 and then after their first home match in IPL 2018 were forced to play their home match in Pune due to the Cauvery water dispute protest which forced the BCCI to shift matches out of Chennai to Pune.
As far as weather is concerned, clear skies have been forecast while the temperatures will be around the 30ºC mark but really feel will be around 33ºC with high humidity in the range of 65-75%.
IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Pitch Report
There’s a lot of grass in certain parts of the pitch with certain areas which are fuller do look dry. Spinner will come into play; Ravindra Jadeja, Imran Tahir and Harbhajan Singh form CSK side while Yuzvendra Chahal with one or more of Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Singh and Washington Sundar. It will be a low scoring match.
IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Team News
Chennai Super Kings have been the most consistent franchise of the IPL; who have always been in the top four, are a formidable side at home but often tend to start slow in a season and are usually late bloomers in the IPL.
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) Team News
Chennai Super Kings almost retained everyone from the last year winning combination and continuing with army of oldies. CSK’s strength lies in their slower bowlers which is ideal for the traditional spin-friendly nature of the Chepauk. Ravindra Jadega, Harbhajan Singh and Imran Tahir would be their key bowlers. But pace department will fell the absence of Lungi Ngidi, who was ruled out of the season with a side strain; Mohit Sharma is most likely to take his place to open bowling with Shradul Thakur.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Team News
Royal Challengers Bangalore have retained 15 players from their 2018 squad and bought nine more players at the IPL Player Auction 2019. RCB will facing concerns over the availability of some foreign players at different stages of the tournament due to international commitment. Currently Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile missing out the first few games because of international commitments. Yuzvendra Chahal will be the key bowler in the batting dominant team.
IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Head to Head
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have played 21 matches against each other in Indian Premier League (IPL). Chennai Super Kings won 14 of them and Royal Challengers Bangalore won 7 matches.
Chennai Super Kings have been undefeated against Royal Challengers Bangalore in last 6 matches.
Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have played 7 matches against each other at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium Chennai; out of which Chennai Super Kings have won 6 matches and Royal Challengers Bangalore have won only oe match.
Check: CSK vs RCB Head to Head: RCB vs CSK Head to Head IPL Records
| Total | CSK Won | RCB Won | No Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In IPL | 22 | 14 | 7 | 1 |
| At M.A. Chidambaram Stadium Chennai | 7 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai CSK and RCB Stats
Chennai Super Kings at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Chennai Super Kings have a 34-14 win-loss record in IPL matches at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
Royal Challengers Bangalore at M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
RCB have won only two of their 8 matches at the venue.
IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Match Prediction
IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Toss Prediction
Sides batting first have won the 6 matches of the last 8 matches here. A bit last two matches were won by the team batting second. So toss-winning captain would like to chase on this field.
IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Score Prediction
The average score here batting first has been about the 145-run mark; 160+ will be a par score on this wicket.
| Batting First | Predicted Score |
|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 160+ |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 155+ |
Who Will Win?
Our Prediction for IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB
While CSK is a three-time champion and RCB is the biggest underachiever despite boasting of some of the best names in its squad. The outcome of Saturday’s game will depend on which team bowls better and holds its nerve as both side have players who can turn a match on its head in a jiffy.
| Team | Batting First Winning % | Batting Second Winning % |
|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | 50% | 55% |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 50% | 45% |
In our prediction, Chennai Super Kings are more likely to win this match.
Match Details: IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB
Venue: M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Date: 23 March 2019
Time: 8:00 pm (IST)
Toss: CSK won the toss and elected to bowl first.
Playing XI for CSK: MS Dhoni (c &wk), Ambati Rayudu, Shane Watson, Suresh Raina, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Harbhajan Singh, Imran Tahir
Playing XI for RCB: Virat Kohli(c), Parthiv Patel(w), Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Shivam Dube, Colin de Grandhomme, Umesh Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Navdeep Saini.
CSK Squad for IPL 2019: MS Dhoni (c & wk), Imran Tahir, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Sam Billings (wk), David Willey, Murali Vijay, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Chahar, Narayan Jagadeesan (wk), Suresh Raina, KM Asif, Shradul Thankur, Dhruv Shorey, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Monu Kumar, Dwayne Bravo, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Karn Sharma, Lungi Ngidi, Shane Watson, Ambati Rayudu, Harbhajan Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Mitchell Santner.
RCB Squad for IPL 2019: Virat Kholi (c), Mahammed Siraj, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Akshdeep Nath, AB de Villiers, Shimron Hetmyer, Parthiv Patel (wk), Milind Kumar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Tim Southee, Colin de Grandhomme, Pawan Negi, Devdutt Padikkal, Shivam Dube, Himmat Singh, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Gukreet Mann Singh, Heinrich Klaasen (wk), Washington Sundar, Prayas Ray Barman.