In what would become a big clash between the biggies, MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings will lock horns with Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore on Monday - April 17 at 7.30 pm in Bangalore. Interestingly, it is the first time that Dhoni and Plessis, who was a star batter for CSK in previous seasons, would come head-to-head in today's match. 

In the current IPL season, both CSK and RCB remain at the same place with two victories each. In its last outing against Rajasthan Royals, CSK lost the battle while RCB won its last match against Delhi Capitals. When RCB would vye to keep its winning count, CSK would play out a fierce battle for a comeback. Besides being a must-watch rivalry, CSK's MS Dhoni remains influential when it comes to playing against RCB in the latter's home ground. 

Dhoni has some impressive records in his store against RCB in Bangalore - Dhoni holds the record of smashing more runs against the RCB by any Indian player and in Bangalore's M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Dhoni's average is 92.6 and strike rate is 180.85 - which make the ground his fortress. As per the stats, Dhoni has played ten matches in Chinnaswamy stadium and scored a whopping 463 runs including five fifties. 

Overall, Dhoni has played 31 matches against RCB and amassed 838 runs and the record shows that every time he plays against RCB, his game gets intense and gains prominence. As Dhoni is going to play at the stadium for the first time in what presumed to be his last IPL season, we can expect a great show from him. The 41-year-old CSK skipper is in a sublime form this season and fans are eagerly waiting to witness a similar trend in today's match. 

Furthermore, CSK holds an advantage over RCB when it comes to head-to-head counts. The two teams have played against each other 30 times in the IPL and while CSK won more matches - with 19 victories, RCB has won ten matches. In M Chinnaswamy Stadium, both the teams had played against each other for nine times and both of them have won four matches each. 

In last five matches between CSK and RCB, CSK has won four. A greater relief for Bangalore currently is the team's star batter Virat Kohli is exhibiting a good form as he has scored fifties in the three matches he played in Bangalore this season. Moreover, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell have done a splendid batting in the past few matches. As both the teams have heavyweights with them, we can expect a neck-and-neck and mighty battle.