NEW DELHI: Ahead of the much-anticipated IPL 2025 clash between Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at MA Chidambaram Stadium, a heartwarming moment between Virat Kohli and Suresh Raina stole the spotlight.
During RCB’s practice session, Kohli was honing his shots near the boundary ropes when former CSK star Suresh Raina approached him from behind and both embraced each other in a warm hug.
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The two exchanged pleasantries before Kohli resumed his batting drills. The moment was captured on camera and quickly went viral, delighting fans of both teams.
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With the Southern Derby intensifying on the field, the toss saw CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad opt to bowl first, citing favourable pitch conditions.
“It will play slightly better than the last game. We don’t know when the dew will arrive, but we have to be prepared,” Gaikwad stated. CSK made one change, bringing in Matheesha Pathirana for Nathan Ellis.
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar admitted they would have preferred to chase but remained confident. “We had decided to bowl first, but it won’t make much difference. The surface looks hard, and we’ll aim to set a competitive total,” Patidar remarked. Bhuvneshwar Kumar replaced Rasikh Salam in RCB’s lineup.
CSK vs RCB Playing XIs
- Chennai Super Kings XI: Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rahul Tripathi, Deepak Hooda, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (w), Ravichandran Ashwin, Noor Ahmad, Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India, including match schedules, team squads, points table and IPL live score for CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS, and RR. Don’t miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap.
