On Sunday, just over 24 hours after the first ball of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Chennai Super Kings contest is sent down at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the last round of fixtures in the English Premier League will commence.
All ten football matches will begin at the same time – both at the start and after half-time – and no team will have the benefit of knowing beforehand what has happened elsewhere. Manchester City and Arsenal are separated by two points at the top and are set for a pulsating race to the finish.
Such a level playing field has so far proved alien to the Indian Premier League, and thus, RCB and CSK know exactly what is required of them on Saturday to get into the playoffs.
RCB needs a win, with conditions applied. Assuming there is a full 20-over match and a score of 200, it has to beat CSK by 18 runs or chase down the target with about 11 balls to spare.
Any other result, including a washout – the forecast is for rain – will send CSK through. Ruturaj Gaikwad’s men can potentially zoom up to second if they triumph, and Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals lose on Sunday.
RCB has won five fixtures in a row, and it’s a minor miracle that it is still in contention after once being the favourite to collect the wooden spoon.
But with Will Jacks returning to England, all eyes will be on Glenn Maxwell. The 35-year-old has totalled a paltry 36 runs from seven innings this campaign, but a replacement of his calibre is not something many teams have.
CSK has alternated between victory and defeat over the last six games. And against a destructive batting unit like RCB’s, its bowlers have to be spot on. With Englishman Moeen Ali having left the Indian shores, one of Mitchell Santner or Richard Gleeson is likely to play.
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