As Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gear up for a thrilling Southern Derby at Chepauk Stadium on Thursday, RCB’s batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik, shared his excitement ahead of the big match.
Speaking about his team’s preparation, Karthik said he is thrilled with the players’ approach and confidence during practice sessions.
“I honestly feel that the way we are structuring our team, the way we are playing, and the way we intend to play makes this game very exciting for us. As a team, we are extremely excited and confident of our abilities,” he said in an RCB release.
The upcoming clash is a crucial one, as CSK and RCB have a long-standing rivalry. In their last encounter, RCB knocked CSK out of the IPL playoffs based on net run rate, winning six consecutive matches to secure a spot in the top four.
Historically, CSK has dominated this fixture, winning 21 out of 33 encounters, while RCB has won only 11 matches. One match ended in no result. RCB has won at Chepauk only once, and that was back in 2008.
Despite the stats, Karthik believes this is a fresh opportunity for RCB:
“In the first few games, we showed glimpses of what we are capable of, and our goal is to keep raising the bar, regardless of the venue. It is still early in the tournament, and while past stats exist, this is a fresh group of players who are hungry and eager to make an impact. Being part of this setup as a mentor, watching the players in practice, and seeing their approach has made it an exciting build-up for me personally. It is two strong teams going head-to-head, and I cannot wait for the game to begin.”
This will be Karthik’s first Southern Derby as a mentor. In the last RCB vs CSK match, he played a quick cameo of 14 runs off six balls, including a four and a six.
Squads for the Match
Chennai Super Kings (CSK)
Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shreyas Gopal, Devon Conway, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mukesh Choudhary, Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana, Gurjapneet Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara.
The Southern Derby promises to be a thrilling contest as CSK aims to maintain its dominance, while RCB looks to break the Chepauk jinx.