The Southern Derby returns as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on five-time winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 5, 2026 in Indian Premier League (IPL 2026)
This is the match number 11 of the season and both teams come into the game with very different form and momentum. Yet, in this game, both the teams remained unchanged after CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad won the toss and opted to field first.
Contrasting Fortunes: Recent Form
RCB came into this match full of confidence. They started their season with a strong 6 wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their batting looked solid as they chased down 202 comfortably with Virat Kohli playing a classic unbeaten knock of 69.
In contrast, CSK are struggling after losing both of their opening matches. They first faced a heavy defeat against Rajasthan Royals and then went down by 5 wickets at home to Punjab Kings.
Even though they put up a big total of 209 their bowlers couldn’t defend it leaving Ruturaj Gaikwad’s team still searching for their first points of the season.
Chinnaswamy pitch & weather buzz
The pitch in Bengaluru is known to be great for batting. It’s usually flat with short boundaries so even a score of 200 might not feel safe.
Like in the last match between RCB vs SRH the ball comes nicely onto the bat although spinners could get a little help early in the game.
Weather Forecast: The evening should be comfortable with temperatures around 28 Degrees Celsius. Rain is not expected so fans can look forward to a full match without interruptions.
RCB vs CSK Best playing 11
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Playing 11: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy
Impact Player Options: Suyash Sharma,Jacob Bethell,Rasikh Salam Dar,Kanishk Chouhan,Venkatesh Iyer
Chennai Super KIngs (CSK) Playing 11: Sanju Samson(w), Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Prashant Veer, Jamie Overton, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed
Impact Player Options: Matthew Short, Akeal Hosein, Kartik Sharma, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Gurjapneet Singh,
While Josh Hazlewood has not been playing because of injury, if he has regained fitness he could be drafted into the side for this match.
CSK have a better overall record against RCB, leading 21-13. However, RCB has been in good form recently, winning three of their last five matches against CSK. Playing at home with strong support from the Red Army and coming off a winning start, RCB will feel confident and will look to put more pressure on the CSK team.