With three playoffs places already decided in the Indian Premier League 2024, the race for the final spot has heated up in the competition. RCB and CSK are the last two contenders vying for the final playoffs spot and the two teams face each other in a virtual knockout at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 18. The match also has an added layer of drama, as this could turn out to be the legendary MS Dhoni’s final match in the tournament, if CSK lose and get knocked out of the tournament.
RCB could not be better placed in this encounter even if they wanted to. The Faf du Plessis side has rode on form of players like Virat Kohli, Mohammed Siraj and Cameron Green and managed to win 5 games in a row. The tremendous overhaul has been possible due to RCB’s new ‘intent-filled’ batting approach, and the choice of playing with 2 Indian spinners in their line-up – Swapnil Singh and Karn Sharma.
RCB lost 7 out of their first 8 games, and whatever the result be on Saturday, they should be proud of what they have achieved in this tournament. On the other hand, CSK will hope that their reduced-strength squad is good enough to give it a good crack against the hosts as they look to do well in what could be MS Dhoni’s final season in the tournament.
