IPL 2024: One of the most-awaited premier league series of cricket is back with a bang and the first face-off of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 will be between heavyweights Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

CSK is the defending champion of this season. The cricket fans are waiting for the curtain raiser match between MS Dhoni-led CSK and Virat Kohli-led RCB with bated breath. The match is slated for Friday (March 22) and will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. During a match between the two vanguards, Virat Kohli generally leads the batting chart with maximum runs to his name- 985 runs, followed by MS Dhoni (838) and Suresh Raina (702). When it comes to bowling action, spinner Ravindra Jadeja tops the chart with 18 wickets followed by Dwayne Bravo (17) and Albie Morkel (15). Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming clash between CSK and RCB:

CSK vs RCB: Head-to-head record in IPL

CSK and RCB have met each other on 31 occasions in the history of the IPL with the Chennai-based franchise dominating with 20 victories. RCB have won ten games with one game ending with no result. The last time the two sides met was back in IPL 2023 Match No. 24 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru where Chennai Super Kings thrashed the Royal Challengers Bangalore by 8 runs in a high-scoring match. Matches played: 31 Matches won by CSK: 20

Matches won by RCB: 10

CSK vs RCB Winner Prediction (IPL 2024, 1st Match) Defending champions CSK are the favourites to beat RCB in their first match of the IPL 2024. Chennai have lost seven out of eight matches against RCB at the Chepauk (or MA Chidambaram Stadium). Also, the CSK spin unit is very strong, and batters are used to the slow Chennai surface. CSK should beat RCB on Friday.

CSK vs RCB: Pitch report

The slow wicket of the Chepauk makes batting difficult and the average first-innings score at the stadium revolves around 164. Spinners and pacers with variations get benefits at the venue. The Chennai pitch is expected to get slower as the tournament progresses. The team winning the toss is very likely to bat first.

CSK vs RCB: Weather forecast

The weather in Chennai on Friday will remain bright and sunny with light thunderstorms and rain on Mar 22. The humidity level will be as high as 75 per cent, and the temperature will hover around 31 degrees Celsius. The wind speed at the venue will be close to 18 km/h.

CSK vs RCB: Full squads

CSK Squad IPL 2024: MS Dhoni (c), Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Devon Conway, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Matheesha Pathirana, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Avanish Rao Aravelly. RCB Squad IPL 2024: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan

CSK vs RCB: Probable playing XI

CSK Playing XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma, Akash Deep RCB Playing XI: Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Ajinkya Rahane, Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali/Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (c) (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Deepak Chahar, Mustafizur Rahman CSK vs RCB- IPL 2024: Live streaming details Match: Indian Premier League Match 1- CSK vs RCB Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Live broadcast: Star Sports Network Live streaming: JioCinema app