It is match 8 in the 2025 Indian Premier League as two high-profile rivals, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings, meet each other at the Chepauk Stadium, and CSK won the toss and decided to bowl first. The moment the toss was completed, the crowd erupted in a deafening roar, making normal conversation almost impossible. The Chennai faithful, dressed in yellow, cheered their team on as they prepared to take the field. Chennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad acknowledged that the pitch looked slightly better than in their last game. When asked about the dew factor, he noted that while there hasn’t been much so far, it remains an uncontrollable variable. Gaikwad emphasized the need for a clinical batting performance and confirmed that Matheesha Pathirana comes in for Nathan Ellis. RCB’s skipper, Rajat Patidar, expressed confidence in his decision to chase. He observed that the surface was hard and suggested that the toss result wouldn’t play a huge role. Praising his team’s spirited bowling comeback in their last game, he highlighted the strong intent shown by the openers. Calling this the best rivalry in the IPL, he announced that Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaces Rasikh Salam in the playing XI. Pitchside, Danny Morrison and Matthew Hayden analyzed the conditions. The pitch, adjacent to the one used for CSK vs MI, has a 70-meter boundary on one side and 63 meters on the other. Hayden predicted a gripping contest, suggesting a total between 170-185 could be a winning score. Read also: CSK Coach on RCB’s Reliance on Kohli Before IPL 2025 Clash Playing XI for both teams: Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, and Swapnil Singh. Chennai Super Kings: Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Ruturaj Gaikwad (C), Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana (In for Nathan Ellis), Khaleel Ahmed Impact Subs: Shivam Dube, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Vijay Shankar, Jamie Overton and Shaik Rasheed.