The ongoing rivalry between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) is heating up again, especially with the memories of their thrilling match from last year still vivid for the fans. In that game, RCB pulled off a nail-biter in the last over, which not only got them into the playoffs but also knocked out the defending champs, CSK. Fast forward to IPL 2025, and both teams started strong with victories. This gives RCB a chance to keep that upper hand in the rivalry.
On the other hand, CSK had a solid win against Mumbai Indians, but take a closer look, and there are definitely areas where RCB could exploit their weaknesses. RCB had an impressive outing, dominating Kolkata Knight Riders in their first match, and now they’re eyeing ways to keep that winning streak alive, especially against their southern rivals.
One big issue for CSK is their middle order.
They were heavily reliant on their top batsmen like Rachin Ravindra, who scored 65, and Ruturaj Gaikwad with 53 runs. Once these two were out, the middle order didn’t hold up. Jadeja could only add 17 runs, and Dube, Curran, and even MS Dhoni fell short, with Dhoni not scoring at all. This could be a huge opportunity for RCB to capitalize on.
Here’s how RCB might exploit this weakness.
They should think about putting Josh Hazlewood to work early on, especially since he took 2 wickets for just 22 runs in the first match. He can really go after CSK’s openers. Then, Krunal Pandya’s left-arm spin could be effective against the struggling middle order. Yash Dayal can mix things up with his bowling, creating tricky angles for CSK’s right-handed batsmen. The goal here would be to take down Ravindra and Gaikwad as quickly as possible.
In the middle overs, RCB can afford to take some smart risks against Jadeja, whose economy rate is higher, while staying cautious about Noor Ahmad, who has been difficult to score off. Plus, bringing Rajat Patidar into the game during the middle overs could keep the momentum going, given his impressive strike rate of 212.50. Using right-handed batsmen against Noor Ahmad could also turn out to be a smart move.
When it comes to the death overs, RCB needs to particularly target Khaleel Ahmed, who hasn’t been great in those final moments. They can use their finishers like Liam Livingstone to apply some serious pressure. However, they need to be careful with Noor Ahmad as he has shown to be quite reliable in those critical overs.
Looking at CSK’s bowling, it was clear they leaned heavily on just a couple of bowlers—Noor Ahmad and Khaleel Ahmed— who were responsible for 7 out of their 9 wickets. This lack of depth in their bowling attack could be a point of concern for them, and RCB should plan accordingly.
So, to take advantage of these weaknesses, RCB should keep their right-handed batsmen ready for Noor Ahmad’s overs, and bat conservatively during the spells of both Noor and Khaleel. They should aim to score quickly against CSK’s other bowlers to pile on the pressure, and instead of targeting the main wicket-takers, they can take calculated risks against the supporting bowlers. By sticking to a thoughtful strategy, RCB could find themselves in a favorable position as this rivalry continues to evolve in IPL 2025.
