IPL 2021, RCB vs CSK: Royal Challengers Bangalore eye rhythm and confidence against Chennai Super Kings

After crushing loss to KKR, Kohli urges team to deliver against CSK
Following their crushing loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening contest of IPL's UAE sojourn, Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli gave his teammates a pep talk, urging them to accept the nine-wicket loss, make peace with it and move on.
When RCB take the field against Chennai Super Kings in Sharjah on Friday night, they will need more than just the pep talk to get their campaign back on track.
As the temperature in UAE continues to soar, touching 42 degrees this week, the Indian Premier League has seen some rather cold and lopsided contests. Teams batting first, barring Punjab Kings, have struggled to adjust, while bowlers have called the shots in most matches.
That said, there is the promise of a contest worthy of the teams' reputations. While CSK will look to continue their dominance over RCB which includes 17 wins from 27 contests, RCB will be keen to salvage their reputation.
Before running into KKR, RCB had won five of their previous seven encounters in India. CSK, on the other hand, have one more win than RCB.

The southern derby, which pits Kohli's captaincy against Mahendra Singh Dhoni's mentorship, is won as much on the ground as it is in the dugout. The match is crucial for RCB. While they need to get back to winning ways to make it to the playoffs, a loss would again switch the focus back on the timing of Kohli's decision to step down as the team's captain after this season.
CSK's experienced line-up will be up against RCB's inconsistent batting and bowling attacks. Given the fact that RCB's middle order often ducks for cover under the top order which includes Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and AB de Villiers, it will be imperative for them to get off to a good start.
More importantly because Glenn Maxwell is virtually the only game-changer down the order for them. In such a scenario, Dhoni will look to dismantle the top order with a mix of swing and spin with the pace bowling trio of Josh Hazlewood, Deepak Chahar and Shardul Thakur working in tandem with the spin expertise that Moeen Ali and Ravindra Jadeja bring to the team.

Of course, we can't forget last-match hero Dwayne Bravo. While the RCB middle order is brittle, CSK, who have packed their team with all-rounders, bat deep.
Although in their win against Mumbai Indians it took the brilliance of opener Rituraj Gaikwad to put up a competitive total, Jadeja (26) and Bravo (23) highlighted CSK's batting strength lower down the order.
UAE hasn't been RCB's favourite hunting ground with a win percentage of 42.86 %, but there isn't a better time and opportunity than this to buck the trend.