A remarkable display by Royal Challengers Bengaluru marked the end of a 17-year winless streak at Chepauk, as they triumphed over Chennai Super Kings on their home ground, starting their season with consecutive victories. After being asked to bat first, RCB set a formidable total of 196 runs, which their bowlers successfully defended, resulting in CSK’s largest home defeat by runs.
Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar destroy CSK's bowling lineup
Phil Salt approached his innings with determination from the outset, targeting Khaleel Ahmed for a couple of boundaries. CSK’s choice to bring R Ashwin into the attack from the opposite end proved to be a significant misstep, as Salt greeted the seasoned spinner with a six over backward square leg, followed by two additional fours in the same over, propelling RCB to a remarkable start. While Salt consistently found the boundary, Virat Kohli faced challenges and required a full toss from Noor Ahmad to secure his first boundary. Nevertheless, Noor provided CSK with a crucial breakthrough in the same over, as MS Dhoni’s swift reflexes led to a stumping. Devdutt Padikkal then concluded the PowerPlay impressively, launching Sam Curran over the boundary for a six.
Post-PowerPlay, Padikkal emerged as an unexpected threat for a short period, attacking Ravindra Jadeja with a couple of fours and a six, momentarily silencing the Chepauk crowd. He appeared poised to inflict further damage until Ruturaj Gaikwad executed a superb catch to dismiss him. However, Gaikwad’s effort was not complemented by some of his teammates, who repeatedly offered Rajat Patidar opportunities. Earlier, Kohli finally found his rhythm after being struck on the helmet by the returning Matheesha Pathirana, hitting the Sri Lankan pacer for a six and a four. Unfortunately, he could not maintain that momentum, as he slog swept Noor directly to a fielder at deep mid-wicket.Â
This dismissal did not deter Patidar, who aggressively targeted Jadeja in the following over, punishing CSK with a series of boundaries that elevated RCB’s run rate and positioned them for a strong finish. The concluding phase of the innings commenced with notable excitement as Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma each struck a six during Noor’s last over, although this was interrupted by the dismissal of Livingstone. Khaleel swiftly ended Jitesh’s brief but impactful innings, and when Pathirana returned for his final spell, he initially struggled with conceding boundaries.
However, he redeemed himself in his last over by claiming the wickets of Patidar and Krunal Pandya, which significantly hindered RCB’s chances of surpassing a total of 200. Nevertheless, in the closing moments, Tim David delivered a strong finish for his team by hitting three sixes off Curran, concluding the innings with RCB finishing just four runs shy of the 200 mark.
Chennai Super Kings' fall way short of the target
Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s return significantly bolstered the bowling attack, particularly during the PowerPlay, where RCB inflicted early damage on CSK. However, it was Josh Hazlewood who made the initial breakthrough, claiming two wickets in a single over that quickly put CSK on the defensive. Rahul Tripathi, struggling with his form, mistimed a pull shot and was easily caught. The loss of Ruturaj Gaikwad was even more detrimental, as he misplayed a short delivery and was caught near the boundary, leaving CSK at 8 for 2. Deepak Hooda, who was promoted ahead of impact substitute Shivam Dube, appeared quite unsettled and ultimately edged one behind, granting Bhuvneshwar his first wicket of the season. This placed the responsibility on Rachin Ravindra to rescue CSK, alongside Curran, who was also sent in before Dube.
With no visible dew, RCB’s spinners continued to apply pressure on the home side even after the PowerPlay. As the required run rate escalated, Curran attempted to break free but misplayed a shot against Livingstone, leading to his dismissal and bringing Dube to the crease. Dube initially threatened to make an impact by hitting Suyash Sharma for a six and a four, but the legspinner bounced back with an impressive over, intensifying the pressure on CSK. This allowed Yash Dayal to capitalize, taking out both Dube and Ravindra in similar fashion during the same over, pushing CSK closer to a significant defeat. The sluggish nature of the pitch prevented CSK from gaining any momentum.
Throughout most of the evening, the home crowd remained subdued, with only a brief spark from Dhoni providing some excitement. The former captain entertained the fans by finding the boundary a couple of times against Hazlewood and then hitting two massive sixes off Krunal in his final over. He concluded his innings unbeaten on 30 from just 16 balls. Nevertheless, the night ultimately belonged to RCB, as Dhoni’s late cameo merely served to lessen the margin of defeat.
SCORECARD: 196/7 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 51, Phil Salt 32; Noor Ahmed 3/36, Matheesha Pathirana 2/36) beat Chennai Super Kings 146/8 in 20 overs (Rachin Ravindra 41, MS Dhoni 30*; Josh Hazlewood 3/21, Yash Dayal 2/18) by 50 runs
