CSK vs RCB: Can Chennai bank on Shivam Dube to prevail against Bengaluru?

In-form southpaw Shivam Dube will be the cynosure of all eyes when Chennai Super Kings take on familiar foes Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the high-stakes IPL encounter at the Chepauk stadium on Friday. 

Having been associated with the Chennai franchise since 2022, Dube, 31, boasts an excellent record against the Rajat Patidar-led side. His hard-hitting maximums and exceptional finishing skills will be put to test against the likes of Tim David, Romario Shepherd, and Liam Livingstone. As per the stats, in five matches against RCB, the all-rounder has scored 234 runs at an average of 78.00 and a strike rate of 158.11, boasting of two half-centuries and the best score of 95.

His only outing at Chepauk against RCB last year saw him score 34 (unbeaten) in 28 balls during a run-chase of 174 runs. His last match against RCB, which saw CSK getting knocked out of the IPL on the basis of net-run-rate, was a poor outing for him as he scored just seven in 15 balls.

At Chepauk Stadium in 17 matches, Shivam has made 410 runs at an average of 34.17 and a strike rate of over 164, with two half-centuries in 16 innings and the best score of 66.

RCB, on the other hand, will aim to secure its second-ever win at Chepauk after winning its first match against CSK at the venue in 2008 during the inaugural edition of the IPL.

CSK vs RCB, IPL 2025: Full teams

Chennai Super Kings Squad: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Shivam Dube, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Nathan Ellis, Khaleel Ahmed, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton, Shreyas Gopal, Devon Conway, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Mukesh Choudhary, Anshul Kamboj, Matheesha Pathirana, Gurjapneet Singh, Shaik Rasheed, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Abhinandan Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Bethell, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara.

(With agency inputs)