Chennai Super Kings start their campaign with a comfortable victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets in yesterday’s IPL  2024 game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

CSK comfortably chased the target

The openers started very dangerously as they scored 38. The dangerous stand was broken when new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (15) nicked a wide delivery from Impact Player Yash Dayal to slip, where Cameron Green took the catch on the second attempt. At the other end, Rachin Ravindra (37 off 15) was going hammer and tongs. He whacked three fours and as many sixes before slog-sweeping Karn Sharma to deep backward square leg. It was sweet revenge for the RCB bowler, who was deposited for a maximum over deep midwicket off the previous delivery.

Daryl Mitchell attacked Karn with consecutive sixes in the ninth over. At the other end, though, CSK lost Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19). He chipped a short of length delivery from Green to square leg, where Glenn Maxwell took an excellent catch. Chennai were four down for 110 when Mitchell (22 off 18) mistimed a short ball from Green to long on. Impact Player Shivam Dube (34* off 28) and Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 17), though, featured in an unbroken fifth wicket stand of 66. Their partnership ensured Chennai to yet another impressive win over Bengaluru. Mustafizur Rahman was player of the match for his match winning bowling figures 4-29 in his four overs.

Bengaluru top order batters were not upto the mark

Batting first after winning the toss, RCB recovered from a shocking batting collapse to post a competitive 173-6, with Anuj Rawat (48 off 25) and Dinesh Karthik (38* off 26) added 95 for the sixth wicket. Bengaluru captain Faf du Plessis got off to a cracking start, hitting seven fours in the first three overs, four of them coming in the third one bowled by Deepak Chahar. Mustafizur Rahman came into the attack and ended Du Plessis’ entertaining knock for 35 off 23, with the RCB batter mistimed a cutter to deep point. In the same over, the struggling Rajat Patidar (0) edged a delivery which was caught by the keeper.

Things went from bad to worse for Bangalore as Maxwell went for a golden duck. He tried to run a short of length delivery from Chahar to third man but could only guide the ball to the keeper. Virat Kohli, who was watching the other batters from the other end, was the next to go for 21 off 20. He pulled Mustafizur to deep midwicket, where Rahane took a good sliding catch and passed the ball to Ravindra. Mustafizur also knocked over Green (18) in the same over as the batter made room and attempted to cut a short of length delivery but completely missed the ball. The dismissal left RCB in big trouble at 78-5.

Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik saved the day for RCB

Rawat and Karthik, though, put on a brilliant counter-attacking partnership which helped Bengaluru. They both found their rhythm and started to hit boundaries. In the second last over they took 25 runs this was bowled by Tushar Deshpande. Their final score was 173- 6.

Kevin Varchand