In the opening match of TATA IPL 2024 at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the defending champions, displayed a fantastic all-around performance to defeat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets.

Mustafizur Rahman’s impressive performance of 4/29, along with exceptional fielding, played a crucial role in limiting RCB to 173/6. On his IPL debut, Rachin Ravindra showcased his skills with a strong 37 runs off just 15 balls, contributing to a team effort that allowed the home side to comfortably chase down the target with eight balls remaining.

CSK began their chase of 174 with a quick pace, however, they lost their captain Ruturaj Gaikwad during the process. In their partnership of 38 runs, Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra managed to hit six fours and a six before RCB’s key player Yash Dayal caught Gaikwad at first slip in the fourth over. Ravindra and Rahane continued the momentum, adding 33 runs in 18 balls, but RCB’s introduction of spin resulted in a wicket as Karn Sharma dismissed Ravindra (37 off 15) at deep square leg after being hit for a six in the previous ball.

At the halfway point, Daryl Mitchell found his rhythm as he hit a couple of sixes off Karn, bringing the home team’s score to 92/2.

In the following over, Du Plessis introduced Cameron Green as a new bowler. In his first over, Green managed to take a wicket when Rahane was caught at deep square leg, immediately after hitting a six off the previous delivery. Shivam Dube then entered the field as CSK’s designated Impact Player, taking the place of Mustafizur Rahman.

The pace of the game decreased and CSK faced mounting pressure when Mitchell was dismissed in the 13th over while attempting to increase the score. This resulted in Green claiming his second wicket.

With 45 balls remaining and 64 runs required, Dube and Jadeja joined forces, stabilized the situation, maintained the pace of scoring, and eventually increased their efforts to successfully chase the total in just 18.4 overs.

Dube, the key player, finished with an unbeaten score of 34 from 28 deliveries, while Jadeja also remained not out with 25 runs from 17 balls. Together, they contributed 66 runs in just 37 balls, ultimately leading their team to victory.

Prior to the match, Faf du Plessis, the captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, made the decision to bat first after winning the toss.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) started off strong, but Chennai Super Kings (CSK) quickly retaliated by taking three wickets during the Powerplay. The opening partnership between Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli contributed 41 runs. Du Plessis was the more aggressive of the two, launching an attack on the CSK bowlers right from the beginning. He displayed excellent placement and timing, and then added power to his shots, hitting four fours in the third over bowled by Deepak Chahar. The next over by Maheesh Theekshana was more controlled, giving away only four runs. In the fifth over, Ruturaj Gaikwad brought in Mustafizur Rahman, a strategic move that proved successful as du Plessis, who had already hit eight fours, was caught at deep point by Rachin Ravindra, who made a stunning diving catch. This wicket was followed by another, as Rajat Patidar was caught behind by Mustafizur Rahman just three balls later. Chahar then switched ends and was able to have Glenn Maxwell caught behind, leaving RCB at 42/3 in the Powerplay.

After a shaky start, Kohli and Cameron Green were able to stabilize the situation with a partnership of 35 runs. However, Mustafizur returned to take down the crucial wicket of Kohli. Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra executed a superb tag-team catch on the deep mid-wicket fence. Mustafizur then struck again, bowling out Green just two balls later. This left RCB in a tough spot at the end of 12 overs, with a score of 79/5.

The resurrection for Dinesh Karthik (38* off 26) and Anuj Rawat (48 off 25) started off cautiously, but they shifted to a more aggressive approach in the 15th over. They managed to score 83 runs in six overs, with a significant contribution of 25 runs off Tushar Deshpande’s over. This included three sixes and a four by the pair.

During the first innings, RCB substituted Dinesh Karthik with Yash Dayal, their Impact Player. This change proved to be beneficial as the duo scored 95 runs from 50 balls for the sixth wicket, leading RCB to a total of 173/6 with sustained momentum.

NEWSSEEKERS