Chennai Super Kings will be playing for pride as they take on RCB in a rain-threatened southern derby. MS Dhoni and co. have already been eliminated from the IPL 2025 playoffs race and have lost 8 out of 10 matches played so far. With nothing to lose, CSK can afford to test their bench strength and give opportunities to the five players they are yet to try out this season from their squad.
CSK predicted playing XI vs RCB
| Position | Player | Role |
| 1. | Shaik Rasheed | Batter |
| 2. | Ayush Mhatre | Batter |
| 3. | Sam Curran | All-rounder |
| 4. | Shivam Dube | Batter |
| 5. | Vansh Bedi | Batter |
| 6. | Ravindra Jadeja | All-rounder |
| 7. | MS Dhoni (C & WK) | Batter |
| 8. | Shreyas Gopal | Bowler |
| 9. | Noor Ahmad | Bowler |
| 10. | Nathan Ellis | Bowler |
| 11. | Khaleel Ahmed | Bowler |
Will CSK use Gopal?
CSK could turn to Shreyas Gopal in the game against RCB, given that they will be playing at his home ground – the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru. The spinner was bagged by CSK in the IPL 2025 mega auction but has warmed the bench so far in the tournament. The five-time champions can afford to leave out an underperforming Ashwin once again and instead include Gopal.
Flanked by Jadeja and Noor, Gopal could be the perfect addition to CSK’s spin unit. In terms of pacers, CSK won’t mind leaving out a misfiring Pathirana. No doubt that he is one of their best death overs bowler, the Sri Lankan has been quite expensive and has conceded a lot of runs in the form of extras. In his place, Dhoni could consider playing the experienced Nathan Ellis instead.
As an extra option for a pacer, Anshul Kamboj can come in as the impact player to bolster the pace unit which will comprise of Khaleel Ahmed and Sam Curran.
Vansh Bedi to finally get a game?
Bedi had a stellar run in Delhi Premier League 2024. In 8 matches for Dilli 6, he amassed 221 runs at a strike-rate of 185.71, averaging 44.20. This young firepower might give CSK the exact boost needed in the middle-order.
CSK squad for IPL 2025
Shaik Rasheed, Ayush Mhatre, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Dewald Brevis, Shivam Dube, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni(w/c), Noor Ahmad, Khaleel Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana, Anshul Kamboj, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tripathi, Shreyas Gopal, Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Mukesh Choudhary, Nathan Ellis, Andre Siddarth C, Vansh Bedi
The post CSK predicted playing XI vs RCB: Hooda & Ashwin out, Gopal & Vansh Bedi in? appeared first on Inside Sport India.