BENGALURU: The IPL 2023 season is abuzz with excitement as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) prepare to face each other in what promises to be a riveting match at the Chinnaswamy stadium. With tickets for the match having long sold out, fans are reportedly scrambling to buy tickets from the black market, oftentimes paying more than ten times the original price for the cheapest tickets (Rs 1,700).
Fans of both teams are eagerly anticipating this encounter, as it is the only time they will meet during the league stage. Shubham Bhat, a technical support engineer, says the match against CSK is one of the biggest for RCB, and hopes that the latter can pull off a victory on home turf to steer back towards the path to the playoffs. But he admits that rooting for the team can be a double-edged sword, given RCB’s swings in performance.
“RCB’s performance has always been either the highest of highs or the lowest of lows. They win very big matches, and they lose easy matches. So the team’s relationship with fans has always been hot and cold. When the team wins, everything is great and everyone says ‘Ee sala cup namde’ and when they lose a couple of matches, fans are like ‘This team is never going to win anything’,” he says, adding that MS Dhoni’s presence will mean that CSK will be a formidable foe for RCB.
Sanjee Sumanth, an IT professional and fellow RCB fan agrees. “The toss will have a huge impact on RCB’s fortunes. Chinnaswamy Stadium is punishing bowlers, so if RCB can avoid batting first and limit the score to a reasonable target, they can easily chase given how well the batsmen have done so far this season,” Sumanth shares.
According to 25-year-old Kushal M, a perfusion technology intern, RCB lacks consistent form, making it their biggest weakness. “But whenever they play at Chinnaswamy Stadium they seem to win. So, I’m confident that they’ll be able to defeat CSK if they play their cards right,” he adds.
Meanwhile, CSK fans in Bengaluru are confident that their ‘Thala’ will lead their favourite team to victory. “This is most likely Dhoni’s last IPL and the way he has approached the season shows that he’s very determined. Whatever mistakes they’ve made so far, they’ve worked to rectify them, so they should be strong during the match in Bengaluru,” says Madhumitha Dhanasekaran, a marketing professional.
Dhanasekaran concedes that CSK’s task will not be easy given RCB’s strong lineup. “RCB’s lineup is surprisingly strong this season, but for some reason, they’re not able to make it work. For CSK, it’ll still be a tough match, but I’m confident they can defeat RCB,” she says.
Aditi Pohekar, a data scientist believes CSK’s weak point lies in its bowling lineup. “If CSK ups the ante in terms of bowling, they can easily win. The excitement that RCB vs CSK matches bring, has always been similar to India vs Pakistan matches. So the stakes are really high,” she adds.
The anticipation for today’s match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings is just as much as India vs Pakistan matches say cricket-crazy fans as the two teams get ready to lock horns