IPL 2025: CSK vs RCB, Match 8 - Top player battles to watch out for

Match Overview

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to continue their iconic rivalry in Match No.8 of Indian Premier League 2025 on Friday, March 28, at the iconic M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

The five-time champions will look to dominate with their skills and will be backing their spin trio of Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Noor Ahmad. In their season opener, the Chennai spinners bamboozled the Mumbai Indians' batters and restricted them to a total of 155/9. Later, it was Rachin Ravindra and Ruturaj Gaikwad who sealed the game for their side with four wickets and five balls to spare.

Meanwhile, RCB too enters the contest on a high after defeating defending champions, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by seven wickets at Eden Gardens in the opening game of the competition. Their chase of 175 looked easy, thanks to Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 59 and Phil Salt’s 56. Earlier, Krunal Pandya and Josh Hazlewood performed brilliantly with the ball, restricting the home team to a sub-par total, despite having a good start.

However, historically, CSK defeated the Bengaluru side 21 times, including an eight-win record in Chennai. RCB haven’t beaten CSK at Chepauk since 2008. Notably, with both teams having star players, interesting match-ups are on the cards.

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Here are the top three player battles to watch out for in CSK vs RCB, Match 8 of IPL 2025:

3. Rajat Patidar vs Noor Ahmed

One contest that could be seen is between Rajat Patidar and Noor Ahmad. Patidar, coming off a quickfire 34 off 16 balls in his last game, will look to attack Noor. If he succeeds in doing so, CSK will be under pressure and will have to rethink their bowling plans, possibly preventing Ravindra Jadeja from completing his quota. However, if Noor dismisses Patidar early, CSK could trap RCB’s batting lineup.

The Afghan spinner made a brilliant debut for CSK, dismantling MI’s batting lineup with figures of 4/18. With batters struggling to pick him, he is a big asset for CSK. With Chepauk’s spin-friendly conditions favoring Noor, Patidar will have to be careful. However, the youngster will have to be careful bowling to the RCB skipper, as he is a good player of spin. Patidar has so far scored 194 runs against left-arm spinners and has given his wicket away four times in 20 outings.

2. Virat Kohli vs Ravindra Jadeja

RCB & CSK.Star batter Virat Kohli will need to worry about Ravindra Jadeja. While Kohli has dominated most bowlers over the years, Jadeja has managed to keep him quiet. In 19 IPL innings, Kohli has scored 157 runs against Jadeja, getting out only three times. However, his strike rate against the spinner is just 108.27. Despite the RCB stalwart playing at an average of 52.33, he hasn’t been able to accelerate against Jadeja.

Kohli started IPL 2025 with a match-winning 59* (36) against KKR. However, his struggles against left-arm orthodox spin could make Ruturaj Gaikwad bring Jadeja early on, especially on the Chennai pitch. Meanwhile, Jadeja went wicketless against MI, and he'll be looking to make an impact against RCB.

1. Ruturaj Gaikwad vs Josh Hazelwood

As Chennai Super Kings (CSK) take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their highly anticipated IPL 2025 clash, one of the most exciting matchups to watch will be between and RCB's seasoned pacer Josh Hazlewood.

CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad played a quickfire 53 off 26 balls in CSK’s opener against Mumbai Indians, and his getting runs at the top is crucial for his side. However, he has struggled against Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood. Notably, the speedster knows CSK inside out, having played for them in 2020 and 2021. Historically, Gaikwad has played against Hazlewood twice in the IPL, scoring just nine runs at a strike rate of 64.28 while getting dismissed once. Hazlewood's ability to generate extra bounce and extract movement early on could test Gaikwad.

Also Check: CSK vs RCB Live Score, Match 8