IPL 2019: 3 former RCB players who proved to be lucky charms for Chennai Super Kings

The Indian Premier League 2019 is just a few days away. The opening contest of the marquee tournament features the sizzling hot South Indian derby between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore.

These two have quite a rivalry against each other. The teams have locked horns 23 times, with CSK winning 15 of these encounters, compared to RCB's 7. One game between these two ended up with no result.

Currently, CSK is on a six-match winning streak against RCB with RCB's final victory coming way back in 2014. It will be interesting to see if CSK continues their streak or if RCB manages to break it. With that being said, there are three important players in CSK squad who played for RCB previously. Let us have a look at them.

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#3 Karn Sharma

Karn Sharma bowls leg-spin for the CSK

You may have forgotten that Karn Sharma actually played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. This is because of the fact that the Chennai Super Kings bowling all-rounder didn't play much for RCB.

He made it to the RCB squad in the 2009 Indian Premier League. However, he did not do anything except bench-warming. Karn's noteworthy IPL opportunity came only in 2013 for Sunrisers Hyderabad. The Hyderabad based franchise, unlike RCB, gave him 13 matches to play in the season.

He played for SRH till 2016, when the team won the IPL trophy. However, Sharma played just 5 matches in the tournament-winning season and failed to take any wickets. As a result, Sunrisers Hyderabad released him, and he was picked by Mumbai Indians for the next season.

Karn Sharma's fortune bought the IPL trophy to the Mumbai based franchise in 2017. He played 9 matches for them and picked 13 wickets in the season. Nevertheless, Sharma found a new home in Chennai Super Kings for the 2018 season.

To his surprise, he ended up as a part of the trophy-winning side for the third consecutive time. Chennai Super Kings did not release him before IPL 2019. Thus, Sharma will be playing for them with the hope of getting his fourth IPL trophy in a row.

The 31-year-old had picked 53 wickets in 60 innings with a bowling average of 26.64 and an economy rate of 7.77. As a batsman, Karn Sharma has 316 runs in 35 innings. The consecutive trophy-winning record of this all-rounder makes him a lucky charm for CSK.

#2 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav played for RCB before coming to CSK

Many people wouldn't have forgotten Kedar Jadhav's stint with RCB because of the fact that it did not happen long ago. Unlike Karn Sharma, Jadhav was actually given many opportunities in the playing XI. He wasn't an unknown commodity when he joined the side.

Jadhav played promising knocks for Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) before joining RCB in 2016. He notched up 566 runs for Delhi in 37 innings at a strike rate of 134.44. Thus the Bangalore side added him to their squad. He continued there for 2017 as well.

During his stint with the RCB franchise, Jadhav scored 309 runs in 16 innings. However, ahead of the 2018 season, Chennai Super Kings made quite a high bid for him in the auctions. Thus, the fiery batsman ended up in the Chennai based side.

Kedar Jadhav did not play many games for CSK in 2018 season due to a hamstring injury. Still, Jadhav showed his significance in the only match he played. His match-winning 24* in the crucial opening game against Mumbai Indians proved to be a lifesaver for CSK.

Kedar Jadhav's heart and determination along with his talent to finish matches in impossible situations make him a key member for Chennai Super Kings in the 2019 season.

#1 Shane Watson

Shane Watson had a good BBL season ahead of IPL 2019

To be honest, Shane Watson did not have a decent stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore. After the suspension of his side Rajasthan Royals, the Australian all-rounder was roped in by RCB ahead of the 2016 season. He even captained a few games in the absence of regular skipper Virat Kohli.

However, his performance for them was mediocre at its best. Watson managed to get just 179 runs in 16 matches. The subsequent season proved to be even more terrible as he got only 71 runs in 8 matches. Pundits pulled the curtain down on Watson's IPL career.

An out-of-form Shane Watson was picked by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2018 season and the rest, as they say, is history. Watson rolled the clock back in time as he notched up 555 runs in 15 games. He played a match-winning knock in the finals as well.

Watson's unbeaten 117 from 57 balls meant a lot for Chennai Super Kings. It will always be remembered as one of the finest IPL batting performances. Watson played well in the recent T20 tournaments such as Big Bash and PSL.

Watson bagged the player of the tournament and the best batsman award for his 430 runs in PSL 2019. Thus, the Australian legend will be expected to star for CSK yet again.