RCB and CSK are two of the biggest arch-rivals in IPL and whenever they play against each other, the atmosphere is always electrifying.
The reason why a match between CSK and RCB grabs so many eyeballs is because both the teams have had a star studded line-up in every season of the IPL.
But, what if an all time XI of CSK and RCB players take the field together? It will surely be a power-packed line-up.
Here is an all-time XI of RCB and CSK –
Openers (Michael Hussey, Chris Gayle)
Michael Hussey and Chris Gayle are two completely different types of batsmen and are still very effective in their own ways.
Hussey’s and Gayle’s contributions with the bat for CSK and RCB respectively have been immense. While Hussey has won two IPL titles for CSK, Gayle took RCB to the brink of IPL title twice, in 2011 and 2016. However, RCB lost on both the occasions.
Middle Order (Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina, AB de Villiers, MS Dhoni)
Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina are occupying the first and the second position in the list of all time highest run getters in the IPL and there can’t be any better option than the two of them to hold the no. 3 and the no. 4 position in an IPL XI.
AB de Villiers and MS Dhoni complement each other well down the order. Both are finishers and both score their runs almost at the same tempo, but their styles are different. The length that is ideal for Dhoni might not be ideal for De Villiers and the length that is ideal for De Villiers might go the distance against Dhoni.
If Dhoni and De Villiers are batting together towards the end of an IPL innings, the bowlers have no escape.
All-rounder (Ravindra Jadeja)
Ravindra Jadeja is an ideal all-rounder to have in an IPL XI, keeping the Indian conditions in mind. He can not only bat at no. 7, but he can be promoted up the order too as he can milk the spinners well.
Jadeja is also very efficient with the ball on pitches which offer any hint of turn. If the ball turns, Jadeja’s arm-ball comes into play even more because the batsman plays for the turn most of the time and gets outfoxed by the arm-ball.
Bowlers (Deepak Chahar, Mitchell Starc, Zaheer Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal)
Deepak Chahar and Zaheer Khan are swing bowlers, but Deepak generally takes the ball away from the right-handers and brings it back into the left-handers while bowling over the wicket.
Zaheer, on the other hand, does exact opposite. He swings the ball away from the left-handers and brings it back into the right-handers while bowling over the wicket.
Mitchell Starc can swing the new ball as well, but his expertise lies in bowling thunderbolt yorkers at the death.
Yuzvendra Chahal has probably been the most successful Indian leg spinner in the IPL in the last 4-5 years. Hardly ever does Chahal bowl defensive lines against any batsman.
Even if the batsman is on the attack, Chahal gives the ball a lot of loop and try and beat the batsman in the air. It works for him most of the time as well.
