Four wins in four games mean the Virat Kohli-led Team Bangalore sit at the top of the 2021 Indian T20 League points table. Their next game, however, could prove out to be a difficult challenge as they square off against MS Dhoni’s Team Chennai at the iconic Wankhede Stadium on Sunday, April 25.
Bangalore have been flawless this season and have managed to score runs even on a slow turf of Chepauk. So moving to a pitch that offers assistance to batsmen wasn’t going to pose any kind of threat whatsoever. It, in fact, worked in their favour as they defeated Rajasthan by 10 wickets in their last Indian T20 League game.
| Chennai vs Bangalore head-to-head | ||
| Chennai | Metrics | Bangalore |
| 26 | Matches | 26 |
| 16 | Wins | 9 |
| 1 | N/R | 1 |
| 61.54% | Win % | 34.62% |
For Chennai, they have been playing at the venue since the season started and this makes Sunday’s game all the more interesting. History suggests that Chennai will be the favourites given their head-to-head record against Bangalore. In a total of 26 matches between the two teams, Chennai have won 16 while Bangalore have won nine.
| Chennai and Bangalore's record in Wankhede | ||
| Chennai | Metrics | Bangalore |
| 18 | Matches | 11 |
| 10 | Wins | 4 |
| 55.56% | Win % | 36.36% |
Chennai even have a stronghold in Mumbai where they have won 10 of the 18 matches they have played at the venue. Bangalore, on the other hand, have won just four of the 11 matches they have played at Wankhede.
Considered as a batting paradise, one can rightly expect Bangalore to go big given that they have hit an average of 15 fours and five sixes in each of their last five Indian T20 League games. The figure of Chennai reads 14.2 fours and 7.4 sixes.
| Best batsmen for Chennai vs Bangalore | |||||||
| Player | Matches | Runs | HS | Average | Strike rate | 100s | 50s |
| Virat Kohli | 26 | 887 | 90* | 42.23 | 127.25 | 0 | 8 |
| MS Dhoni | 29 | 823 | 84* | 41.15 | 141.89 | 0 | 4 |
Chennai will be wary of the threat Bangalore will bring with the bat and would want to keep the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in check. The hard-hitting duo has scored 887 and 516 runs respectively against Chennai. For the Yellow Army, a certain MS Dhoni remains the top scorer against Bangalore, having scored 823 runs against them.
| Best bowlers for Chennai vs Bangalore | ||||||
| Bowler | Matches | Maidens | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike rate |
| Ravindra Jadeja | 22 | 1 | 20 | 25 | 7.24 | 20.7 |
| Yuzvendra Chahal | 11 | 2 | 12 | 24.67 | 6.88 | 21.5 |
As far as bowling is concerned, none of Chennai’s bowlers have managed to stand out against Bangalore. Ravindra Jadeja has picked 20 wickets in 22 matches against them, while Dwayne Bravo has scalped 14 wickets in 20 matches. A certain Yuzvendra Chahal for Bangalore, however, has troubled Chennai in the past, having picked 12 wickets in 11 matches at an economy of 6.88.
Featured photo: AFP /Manjunath Kiran
