CSK have to get Virat Kohli out in the Powerplay: Matthew Hayden

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clash in the opening encounter on Friday, March 22 of IPL 2024 and cricket enthusiasts eagerly await the kickoff. Renowned former cricketers provided exclusive insights to Star Sports on Game Plan, shedding light on key strategies, player form, and the tantalizing prospect of a future captain for CSK.

On the IPL curtain raiser show, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh spoke on the tactics which RCB may have to apply this season in order to win games.

“Chinnaswamy is a batting paradise, there’s no doubt about it. But you need to get people out to win games. With RCB, if you look at their side, they have always had batting. But the problem with RCB has been the bowling. The best thing you can do this season, if they are batting first, doesn’t matter, look to get 230, 240, and yes, it’s not possible every time, but with the kind of batting line-up they have, they must target at least 220 or 230, because a 20-run margin can probably win them more number of games. Not to forget, they have to rely on their bowlers to get the important wickets in the first six overs,” said Harbhajan.

Also Read: Match 1, CSK vs RCB Records & Stats at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

On the other hand, former Australia cricketer Matthew Hayden spoke on Virat Kohli’s form at the Chepauk Stadium and how the pitch behaves in comparison with the Chinnaswamy.

“One thing is for certain, it's a blockbuster showdown. Virat Kohli this year is going to be celebrated across all the games. His record is a 30 average at Chepauk stadium with a strike rate of 111. You know what that means? Someone like Virat, even the greatness of Virat has been reduced in terms of his overall performance at that venue. It is a tricky venue to bat on, especially as an opening batsman. It gets a weird tennis ball type bounce, it's quite slow and difficult to play shots early, but the longer you bat, the game opens up and that's where Virat can be at his most dangerous," said Hayden.

"If he is prepared to bat the 20 overs, he can put together a match-winning performance. 200 is very accessible at Chinnaswamy but not necessarily at Chepauk Stadium. A 150, 130 at times has been plenty of runs when you get guys as good as Jadeja there who bowls stump to stump with the odd ball to turn and the odd ball that stays low, it's really tricky, so they're going to need Virat Kohli out early inside the powerplay. They've done so thrice over the last 5 innings, and they'll need to do so for the 4th time,” the Queenslander added.

Also Read: Steven Smith bats for Virat Kohli's inclusion in India's T20 World Cup squad

Another former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif weighed in on whether MS Dhoni would change his role in the batting lineup this season, saying, “No, I don't think he's going to change that. Dhoni likes to play at the end. In fact, he would prefer it that he didn't get to bat only because they have players like Conway, Rahane, Dube, Jadeja who’s hit 10 runs in 2 balls in the final. Dhoni's role has become that of a mentor, as a captain, for the team selection, player development, and forming tactics.”

Kaif also shared his views on the scintillating form that Virat Kohli is in recent past. “Virat's form is brilliant. I don't remember the last time he's played so well for so long. Yeah, he is a big player, but the last 2 years, he's been amazing. In the World Cup, he became the player of the tournament and the hunger and desire to score runs make him a big player," Kaif said.

"We already know he's a great player, but every innings, he wants to play a match-winning innings, make the team win whether it's for India or RCB. This hunger has been self-made and now that he's come back from a break, he'll be fresh for the IPL and his form and strike rate, whether you look at it in the World Cup or IPL, he's hitting fours and sixes whenever he feels like. So he knows how to up his strike rate and he's doing it very well,” Kaif added.