Royal Challengers Bengaluru(RCB) and Chennai Super Kings(CSK), two of the most followed franchises in the Indian Premier League(IPL), are gearing up for what promises to be an exciting virtual quarter final on May 18 at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.
With the playoffs qualification of both teams hanging in the balance, the match promises to be a thrilling affair as both teams come to the game on the back of some stellar performances. RCB defeated Delhi Capitals(DC) by 47 runs and CSK beat Rajasthan Royals(RR) by 5 wickets.
RCB are on a winning streak having won 5 consecutive games and reached the 5th position on the table from 10th. These victories have given them a great opportunity to go through to the playoffs on the back of their own performance.
The two teams have an interesting rivalry with some great performances but CSK clearly hold the edge.
| RCB | Criteria | CSK |
| 32 | Matches Played | 32 |
| 10 | Won | 21 |
| 21 | Lost | 10 |
| 1 | No Result | 1 |
| 218 | Highest Score | 226 |
| 70 | Lowest Score | 82 |
Both the teams can reach a maximum of 14 points in the league stages. Therefore the qualification will depend on the Net Run Rate(NRR) of the teams. If Sunrisers Hyderabad(SRH) loses its next two matches, RCB just need to win against CSK to get through to the playoffs. But if SRH wins even 1 match, RCB will need to win by 18 runs or by chasing in 18 overs(if the score is 200) to achieve a better NRR than CSK and go through. However, since SRH’s last match will be after this clash, RCB need to beat CSK’s NRR just to be safe.
If CSK beat RCB, they will be confirmed a playoff spot. If they lose to RCB, they need to either have a higher NRR than them or hope that SRH lose both their matches.
For now, Kolkata Knight Riders(KKR) and RR are the two teams who have achieved qualification into the next stage. There are 5 teams in the race for qualification with LSG and DC having a very slim chance due to poor NRR.
Match 68 RCB vs CSK will be played in M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on May 18 from 7:30 pm IST. The toss will happen at 7 pm IST.
-Namit Pandey