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Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings is all set to compete against Rajat Patidar's Royal Challengers Bengaluru in match 8 of the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is going to take place at the iconic MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, on March 28 (Friday). However, CSK will be playing this game without their superstar player Matheesha Pathirana as he is still recovering from an injury.
Matheesha Pathirana out of CSK vs RCB clash
Matheesha Pathirana was one of the well-known players who did not play in CSK's campaign opener against the Mumbai Indians. Fleming stated that the Sri Lankan pacer will not be playing against RCB due to an injury he is currently dealing with.
“Pathirana is recovering from injury. So don’t expect him to play tomorrow,” said Fleming.
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Ahead of the big clash, Stephen Fleming, coach of the Chennai Super Kings, has also made remarks regarding whether the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are depending too much on Virat Kohli. Since his 2008 debut, Kohli, who is currently in his 18th IPL season with RCB, has been an essential member of Bengaluru's team. Kohli will go to Chennai to play the RCB's bitter rivals after opening the season with an undefeated 59 against KKR.
Fleming was questioned during the pregame press conference about if Chennai has a command over their opponents on Friday and whether RCB tends to rely too much on captain Rajat Patidar and star batter Virat Kohli. Since both teams are different from the previous season, Fleming said it is difficult to make judgments after just one game. The CSK coach acknowledged that Kohli plays a significant role in the team's intentions at RCB but stated that his team is not focusing on the past.
"It's really hard to comment after just one game. The RCB and CSK from last year is quite different. We don't look into past performances. Certainly, looking at their team, Kohli is a big part of it. But they have strength in their team, like most franchises have. The competition is pretty even this year. If we keep him and Patidar quiet, then it will help us to win," said Fleming.
