On Saturday, May 3, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) square off in Match No. 52 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, giving CSK the opportunity to thwart RCB’s hopes of making the playoffs.

Because they have only won two of their ten games this season, the Men in Yellow are already out from the postseason competition. A victory over MS Dhoni & Co. would give RCB the opportunity to climb to the top of the points table. Even though RCB is the clear favourite to win on Saturday based on their recent performance, Devdutt Padikkal stated that they will approach this match just like any other.

“We have played some excellent cricket this season, so there’s no reason to consider any of the games any differently. Therefore, I believe we should be alright as long as we have done our preparations properly and are totally focused on the game,” Padikkal stated at the press conference held prior to the game.

While Rajat Patidar’s team has been batting, Devdutt Padikkal has been deployed as the Impact Player.

He was assigned to the crucial No. 3 spot in the batting order and has performed admirably. Padikkal took some time to get going, but in his most recent games, he has proven why he is so highly regarded. With a strike rate of 154.37 and an average of 28.75 runs per nine innings, the top-order hitter has amassed 230 runs.

What transpired at the last meeting between RCB and CSK?

At Chennai’s storied MA Chidambaram Stadium, RCB and CSK faced off earlier in the season. The visitors were asked to bat first and posted 196/7. While players like Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Tim David, and Padikkal made valuable contributions to help their team reach the impressive score, RCB captain Rajat Patidar hit 51 off 32 deliveries.

CSK was only able to muster 146/8 in their 20 overs in response. Dhoni’s explosive innings of 30 not out off 16 deliveries allowed CSK, who had fallen to 99/7, cut the loss gap to 50 runs. To make matters worse, RCB will try to outscore their longstanding rivals.