A winning return will be on the mind of both the teams as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) square off against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 25 of the Dream11 Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

CSK and RCB both have lost their last games. The Virat Kohli-led RCB though have six points against their name, having beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Rajasthan Royals (RR). CSK, on the other hand, have two wins against their name, having won against MI in the season opener and coming out on top versus KXIP.

CSK had the game in its hands against KKR in its previous outing. After a brilliant performance from its bowlers, the top-3 batsmen had given CSK a terrific start. Just when it seemed that the match was beyond the reach of KKR, a flurry of wickets and a complete inability to strike the ball took down CSK.

We know Dhoni hates making unnecessary changes to his team and so Kedar Jadhav could get another shot. In actuality, however, he has been underperforming for quite some time now and is past his best.

Dhoni himself did not score many runs but showed intent from the first ball. That is what we like to see from a great man and that promises some good things to come. With Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, and Ambati Rayadu in form, CSK has a strong top-3.

It needs to sort out its middle-order, which could mean maybe promoting Jadeja above Jadhav in the future or maybe bringing in someone like N Jagadeesan from the bench.

Shardul Thakur has enjoyed an excellent couple of matches in IPL 2020. Effective at the death with his change-ups, he is allowing Dhoni to use Deepak Chahar and Sam Curran at the top without worrying. Karn Sharma bowled well, as did Dwayne Bravo to give CSK a decent bowling attack. Ravindra Jadeja did not get a single over, a bit surprising, but that could change against RCB.

Devdutt Padikkal at the top of the order. He seems a bit susceptible to spin and to the fast, short delivery as well. CSK could target him with a few overs from Jadeja or Karan in the powerplay.

Aaron Finch is too inconsistent to be a factor on most days, which leaves Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers carrying the load of the batting. Chris Morris should make an entry into the team, as per what Virat said, and so the lower-order could be a bit vulnerable.

Morris is playing his first match and could take a little time to get used to the conditions. Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, and Isuru Udana are not a fearsome lower-order at all.

Another place where we can see RCB struggle a bit is in the bowling. Its strategy of bowling spin for almost half of the overs in recent matches could come unstuck against Watson and de Plessis. Chahal and Sundar are going to be under tremendous pressure to get their lines absolutely right.

It may appear so but we don’t really think RCB has that much of an advantage over CSK in any aspect of the game.

Weather Forecast
The weather on the match day is predicted to remain around 32 to 30 degree celsius. The humidity level will be 46 percent and although it is low, there are still chances of high dew at the ground due to Dubai’s proximity to the sea.

Pitch Report
The wicket in Dubai is sluggish and two-paced but generally good for batting. Spinners will get assistance of the wicket and a total in the range of 170-180 is a good score on this deck.

Toss Prediction
Its been a surface to bat first on with runs on the board resulting in added pressure for the chasing side as the surface slows down eventually

Stats and Facts
Head to head: Matches Played: 25
Chennai Super Kings: 16
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 8
No Result: 1

Approaching Milestones:
MS Dhoni needs 2 catches to complete 100 IPL catches as captain. The CSK skipper needs 3 dismissals to complete 150 dismissals in IPL.
Dhoni needs 1 six to reach 300 sixes in T20s.
Faf du Plessis is one catch away from completing 50 IPL catches.
Virat Kohli needs 7 sixes to bring up 200 IPL sixes.
Kohli needs 31 runs to reach 6000 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
AB de Villiers requires 4 catches to complete 100 IPL catches.

Likely XIs:
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Kedar Jadhav, MS Dhoni (capt & wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Dwayne Bravo, Sam Curran, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Karn Sharma/Piyush Chawla

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (capt), AB de Villiers (wk), , Washington Sundar, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Navdeep Saini, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Players to Watch Out For:
Chennai Super Kings: Shane Watson, Faf du Plessis, Ambati Rayudu, Sam Curran
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Moeen Ali, Yuzvendra Chahal

Match Odds:
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1.8
Chennai Super Kings: 2.00

SantaBanta's Winner Prediction: Royal Challengers Bangalore

IPL 2020 Winner Live Odds
Mumbai Indians - 3.6
Delhi Capitals - 3.75br> Kolkata Knight Riders - 6
Royal Challengers Bangalore - 6.5
Chennai Super Kings - 10
Sunrisers Hyderabad - 10
Rajasthan Royals - 26
Kings XI Punjab - 34

Match Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Time: 7.30 PM IST
TV: Star Sports Network
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar VIP