Ahead of his team’s clash against Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has said that the south side derby was the second-most anticipated face off after Mumbai Indians. Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad spoke about his friendship with Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s newly-appointed skipper, Rajat Patidar, adding to the friendly build-up ahead of the much-anticipated IPL 2025 clash in Chennai on Friday, 28 March.
Rajat Patidar was named RCB captain for the 2025 season, a year after Ruturaj Gaikwad succeeded MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings. The two teams with the most passionate fan bases and talismans in MS Dhoni and V Kohli, have both seen captaincy handed to young Indian players
CSK vs RCB the age old rivalry with passionate fanbases
Emotions are set to run high as fans from both camps arrive in Chennai, especially after tensions flared on social media last year. RCB knocked CSK out of the playoffs race with a crucial victory at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The match ended in controversy after MS Dhoni, having been dismissed in the final over while attempting to chase down the target, did not shake hands with the RCB players, adding fuel to the rivalry.
The H2H currently stands at 3-2 with CSK having lost the last game, a KO by 27 runs. The closest match the two played was in 2023 when CSK won by 8 runs, though Matheesha Pathirana is out with injury for the home team. Both CSK and RCB head into this encounter on the back of victories in their respective IPL 2025 openers.
While young captains Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rajat Patidar take centre stage, all eyes will also be on Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni in this much-anticipated Southern Derby and the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has agreed with the same.
Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad shares his opinion on CSK’s rivalry with popular IPL franchise RCB
Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad said that the team looked forward to playing against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) the most after Mumbai Indians (MI).
CSK and RCB will take on each other in Chennai on Friday, March 28. Ahead of the fixture, Ruturaj Gaikwad said that any match with Virat Kohli in the opposition was one to look forward to. The CSK captain also heaped praise on Virat Kohli, highlighting his ability to elevate the intensity of any match he plays in. Ruturaj Gaikwad expressed his eagerness to face Bengaluru, acknowledging Kohli’s impact on high-stakes encounters.
“They have done really well every year now. And whenever Virat Kohli is in the opposition, whenever he is playing, it is always a clash to look forward to. So, it is always a great match, and after Mumbai Indians, this is the second match we always look forward to,” Ruturaj Gaikwad said on JioStar’s “Star Nahi Far” initiative (via Times of India).
Virat Kohli started his IPL 2025 campaign in sublime fashion, scoring an unbeaten 59 off just 36 deliveries, complementing new opener Phil Salt’s aggressive approach at the top. Kohli anchored RCB’s chase of 175 against Kolkata Knight Riders with his trademark composure, setting the stage for an enthralling contest against CSK.
The 28-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad revealed that he had wished Rajat Patidar “good luck” after he was appointed RCB’s new captain in February. He also said that both of them had been “friends for a while now” and knew “each other really well.”
“Really looking forward to playing against RCB, especially with Rajat (Patidar) as the new captain. Immediately when they announced Rajat as the captain, I messaged him and wished him good luck. We have been friends for a while now, we know each other really well, and obviously, RCB has been one of the strongest teams,” the right-hander added.
CSK won their opener against Mumbai by 4 wickets, while RCB had beaten KKR by 7 wickets. RCB and CSK come into the fixture having won their respective opening matches of IPL 2025. Both teams will look to maintain their winning momentum on Friday and build on their strong start to the season.
RCB have not won in Chennai since 2008 and trail 11-21 in the head-to-head against CSK. CSK have won four out of their last five IPL matches against RCB. Their only defeat in these five encounters came in Bengaluru in IPL 2024 when they lost by 27 runs, which ensured the RCB qualified for the Playoffs.
Former Australian all-rounder Shane Watson has said that CSK’s spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmed will prove to be a handful against RCB on Friday. He also felt that the three-time IPL finalists would need to alter their team to counter CSK’s strengths, if they are to win only their second match in Chepauk on Friday.
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