Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secured a thrilling 27-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the 68th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
CSK won the toss and elected to field first. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis laid a strong foundation for RCB with impressive knocks. While Kohli fell short of his fifty, dismissed by Mitchell Santner in the 10th over for 47, skipper Faf continued his form and notched up a well-made 54 before being run out. Rajat Patidar (41 off 23) and Cameron Green (38* off 17) then stitched together a crucial partnership. Dinesh Karthik (14 off 6) and Glenn Maxwell (16 off 5) cameoed towards the end, propelling the hosts to a strong total of 218/5. Notably, this marked the sixth time RCB have crossed the 200-run mark in IPL 2024, the most by any team in a single edition and their highest total against CSK in IPL history.
Chasing a daunting target, CSK got off to a disastrous start. Maxwell dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad for a golden duck in the first over, followed by Yash Dayal removing Daryl Mitchell for just four runs. Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra steadied the ship with a crucial partnership, but Lockie Ferguson broke the stand by dismissing Rahane for 33. A crucial run-out saw Rachin, who was batting well at 61, depart, marking a turning point in the match. MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja (42* off 22) threatened a late fightback, but Dayal held his nerve, dismissing Dhoni (25 off 13) after a top edge and skillfully using slower balls to restrict the run flow. Dayal’s heroics ensured RCB secured a hard-fought victory.
This win marks RCB’s sixth consecutive victory, propelling them into the playoffs. Remarkably, they become the first team ever to qualify for the playoffs after winning just one game in their first seven matches of the season. RCB also achieved the unique feat of having both a six-match winning streak and a six-match losing streak in the same season. Conversely, this loss marked a rare setback for the defending champions, who fell short of securing a spot in the last-four stage.
Faf du Plessis, with his crucial knock of 54 runs off 39 deliveries, was adjudged the Man of the Match.
Scorecard:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 218-5, Overs 20, Faf du Plessis 54, Shardul Thakur 2/61
Chennai Super Kings: 191-7, Overs 20, Rachin Ravindra 61, Yash Dayal 2/42