23rd March 2019 will mark the beginning of one of the most awaited T20I cricket leagues in the world. IPL season 12 will kick start with two of the most followed teams in the country. The defending champions Chennai Super Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in the opening game. Read everything you need to know about IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB.

CSK, on the back of a successful campaign last year, will start at their favorite venue – Chepauk. Last year, they played just the one game here and had to stage all their remaining home games in Pune. But the Men in Yellow return to their den and are ready to roar.

On the other hand, RCB would want to wipe off the disappointment of last year as soon as possible. Before the start of every season, they are deemed to be one of the favorites to lift the title. They have always possessed strong squads. This year also, there is enough strength in the side to go the distance. The onus is on Virat Kohli and his men to convert that strength into performances.

Chennai Super Kings Strength and Weakness

The hosts have a tremendous squad this year as well. They have a great balance in all 3 departments. However, the biggest X factor is the presence of all-rounders. With the likes of Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav amongst the ranks, they have a big advantage over any other side.

Their only weakness could be in the spin department. Harbhajan Singh and Karn Sharma are the proper Indian spinners in the side. Both haven’t been at their best of late. Imran Tahir is the leggie but due to the restriction of only 4 overseas players in the XI, he might find it hard to find a place.

Chennai Super Kings complete squad

MS Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Deepak Chahar, KM Asif, Ravindra Jadeja, Sam Billings, Mitchell Santner, David Willey, Shardul Thakur, Monu Kumar, Chaitanya Bishnoi, Mohit Sharma, Dwayne Bravo, Shane Watson, Lungi Ngidi, Imran Tahir, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Karn Sharma, Dhruv Shorey, Faf du Plessis, M Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, N Jagadeesan, Ruturaj Gaikwad

CSK Predicted XI

Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, MS Dhoni (c & wk), Suresh Raina, Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Ambati Rayudu, Faf du Plessis, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, David Willey

Catch Live Score : IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Live Score, Scorecard & Results

Royal Challengers Bangalore Strength and Weakness

RCB is as strong a batting unit as any other in the tournament. Having Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers batting together is a dream come true. They have roped in the big-hitting Shimron Hetmeyer from the auction which is going to add to the force.

Batting has never been their weakness. It’s the bowlers who have let them down over the years. Yuzvendra Chahal has been the sole bright spot in the last few seasons. But the absence of a quality Indian pacer might hurt them again.

RCB Complete Squad

Virat Kohli, Shimron Hetmyer, Parthiv Patel, AB de Villiers, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tim Southee, Pawan Negi, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Colin de Grandhomme, Washington Sundar, Mandeep Singh, Devdutt Padikkal, Heinrich Klassen, Gurkeerat Singh, Himmat Singh, Prayas Ray Barman, Shivam Dube, Milind Kumar, Akshdeep Nath, Umesh Yadav.

RCB Predicted XI

Parthiv Patel (wk), AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli (c), Shimron Hetmeyer, Shivam Dube, Umesh Yadav, Mandeep Singh, Moeen Ali, Yuzvendra Chahal, Colin de Grandhomme, Mohammed Siraj

Head to head CSK vs RCB

Total Matches: 23, CSK won: 15, RCB won: 7, No Result: 1

Know what our experts predicted: IPL 2019 Match 1 CSK vs RCB Match Prediction

Here is everything you need to know about the IPL 2019 match 1 CSK vs RCB

Match No.: Match 1

Date and Timings: Saturday, 23rd March 2019, 8 PM IST (2:30 PM GMT)

Venue: M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

Venue Stats – IPL Total Matches 49 Matches won batting first 30 Matches won bowling first 18 Average 1st Innings scores 166 Average 2nd Innings scores 152 Highest total recorded 246/5 (20 Ov) by CSK vs RR Lowest total recorded 112/10 (19.5 Ov) by CSK vs MI Highest score chased 208/5 (20 Ov) by CSK vs RCB Lowest score defended 134/6 (20 Ov) by CSK vs KKR