In an impressive display of all-around skills, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending champions, secured a six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the opening match of TATA IPL 2024 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Mustafizur Rahman’s outstanding bowling performance, taking 4 wickets for 29 runs, supported by excellent fielding, played a crucial role in limiting RCB to 173/6. Rachin Ravindra showcased his talent in his IPL debut, scoring a quick 37 off 15 balls, contributing to CSK’s successful chase of the target with eight balls remaining.
CSK began their chase of 174 with a strong start, but they lost captain Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the innings. Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra put on a 38-run partnership, hitting six fours and a six before Yash Dayal, RCB’s Impact Player, dismissed Gaikwad caught at first slip in the fourth over. Despite the setback, Ravindra and Rahane continued the momentum, adding 33 runs off 18 balls. However, RCB regained control with the introduction of spin, leading to Karn Sharma taking the wicket of Ravindra (37 off 15), caught at deep square leg after hitting a six off the previous delivery.
Daryl Mitchell found his rhythm by hitting a couple of sixes off Karn Sharma, propelling the home team to 92/2 by the halfway point of the innings.
Du Plessis introduced Cameron Green into the bowling attack, and Green made an immediate impact by taking a wicket in his first over. He had Rahane caught at deep square leg, right after Rahane had hit a six off the previous delivery. Following this, Shivam Dube came in as CSK’s Impact Player, replacing Mustafizur Rahman.
The pace of the game slowed down, and CSK felt the pressure as Mitchell was dismissed in the 13th over while attempting to accelerate the scoring. This wicket marked Green’s second dismissal of the match.
Dube and Jadeja joined forces with 64 runs required off 45 balls. They stabilized the innings, maintained a steady scoring rate, and then accelerated to successfully chase down the target in 18.4 overs.
Dube, the Impact Player, ended the innings unbeaten on 34 runs from 28 balls, while Jadeja remained not out on 25 runs from 17 balls. Together, they forged an unbeaten partnership of 66 runs off 37 deliveries, securing the victory for the home team.
In the earlier phase of the match, Faf du Plessis, the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, won the toss and chose to bat first.
RCB had a strong start, but CSK fought back by taking three wickets during the Powerplay. Du Plessis and Virat Kohli contributed 41 runs for the opening partnership. Du Plessis was particularly aggressive, taking on the CSK bowlers right from the beginning. He showcased excellent placement and timing with his shots, eventually unleashing power with four boundaries in Deepak Chahar’s third over. Maheesh Theekshana tightened the bowling, conceding just four runs in the following over. Ruturaj Gaikwad then introduced Mustafizur Rahman in the fifth over, resulting in a breakthrough as du Plessis, who had struck eight fours, was caught at deep point by Rachin Ravindra, showcasing a splendid diving catch. This breakthrough led to another as Mustafizur dismissed Rajat Patidar caught behind just three balls later. Chahar’s end-switching tactic paid off as he had Glenn Maxwell caught behind, putting RCB at 42/3 by the end of the Powerplay.
Kohli and Cameron Green stabilized the innings with a 35-run partnership, but Mustafizur returned to claim Kohli’s crucial wicket. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra executed a fantastic tag-team catch on the deep mid-wicket boundary to dismiss Kohli. Shortly after, Mustafizur bowled Green, leaving RCB struggling at 79/5 after 12 overs.
Dinesh Karthik, scoring an unbeaten 38 off 26 balls, and Anuj Rawat, contributing 48 runs from 25 deliveries, initiated the team’s recovery with a cautious start. However, they shifted gears from the 15th over onwards, scoring 83 runs in the next six overs. This acceleration was highlighted by their aggressive batting in the Tushar Deshpande over, where they scored 25 runs, including three sixes and a four.
During a phase of consistent momentum, the pair contributed 95 runs off 50 balls for the sixth wicket, propelling RCB to a total of 173/6. Yash Dayal was introduced as RCB’s Impact Player, taking over from Dinesh Karthik at the conclusion of the first innings.
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