"They are going to be a real handful on that surface" - Shane Watson's big statement ahead of CSK vs RCB IPL 2025 match

Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson believes Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) spin trio of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmed will be a handful against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on the Chepauk pitch on Friday, March 28. The two arch-rivals are set to face off in their respective second matches of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025).

The 43-year-old felt that RCB would need to make changes to their side to counter the CSK bowling. He added that the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions' squad was built around "excelling" at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

“CSK’s entire setup is built around excelling in Chennai. Just look at the three spinners who bowled brilliantly in their opening game against MI — Ashwin, Jadeja, and Noor Ahmad. They are going to be a real handful on that surface," Watson said on JioHotstar.

The two-time IPL winner felt it was going to be a "huge challenge" for three-time finalists RCB in Chennai on Friday.

“It’s going to be a huge challenge for RCB to go to Chepauk, especially given the quality of bowlers CSK have at their disposal. RCB will likely need to adjust their team composition to counter CSK’s strengths. But make no mistake — Chepauk is a fortress," he said.

Watson added that Noor Ahmed's Player of the match performance in CSK's tournament opener against Mumbai Indians (MI), where he took 4 for 18 in four overs, would have boosted the team's confidence.

“Seeing Noor Ahmad make such an impact in his first game for CSK will only boost the team’s confidence, knowing they have another wicket-taking option," the 2008 and 2018 IPL winner said.

RCB aim to end losing streak versus CSK at Chepauk

The head-to-head between CSK and RCB reads 21-11 in favour of the former. Notably, only one of those 11 wins for the Bengaluru-based side has come in Chennai, back in 2008.

The two teams played the tournament's first match in 2024 in Chennai, where CSK prevailed by six wickets while chasing RCB's target of 174 runs. The match was Ruturaj Gaikwad's first as full-time captain of the franchise after he replaced MS Dhoni ahead of the edition.

Both CSK and RCB are coming off victories in their respective IPL 2025 openers, with the former having beaten rivals MI on Sunday, March 23. The latter defeated reigning champions Kolkata Knight Riders in the opening match of this season on Saturday.