Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) secured the final playoff spot in IPL 2024 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on Saturday. RCB defended their total of 218, winning by 27 runs at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This victory eliminated the defending champions CSK and ensured RCB’s fourth place in the points table.
RCB Innings RCB took full advantage of batting first at their home ground, posting an impressive total in their allotted overs. The innings began positively with openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis laying a solid foundation. Kohli scored a quick 47 runs off 29 balls, including 3 fours and 4 sixes, showcasing his class and aggression.
Du Plessis played a captain’s knock, anchoring the innings with 54 runs off 39 balls, hitting 3 fours and 3 sixes. The momentum continued with Rajat Patidar, who smashed 41 runs off 23 balls, including 2 fours and 4 sixes, accelerating the run rate in the middle overs.
Cameron Green provided a powerful boost in the later stages, scoring 38 runs off just 17 balls, including 3 fours and 3 sixes. Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell chipped in with quick runs towards the end, adding 14 and 16 runs respectively in very few balls. Their aggressive batting ensured RCB posted a challenging total of 218/5 against CSK.
CSK Innings Chasing a daunting target of 219, CSK faced an early setback when Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for a golden duck on the very first ball. However, Rachin Ravindra brought some stability to the innings with a well-constructed 61 runs off 37 balls, hitting 5 fours and 3 sixes.
Despite the early loss, Ajinkya Rahane played a steady knock, scoring 33 runs off 22 balls with 3 fours and 1 six. Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni attempted to revive the innings with Jadeja scoring a brisk 42 runs off 22 balls, including 3 fours and 3 sixes, and Dhoni contributing 25 runs off 13 balls with 3 fours and 1 six.
Struggles in the middle order, including low scores from Daryl Mitchell (4 runs off 6 balls), Shivam Dube (7 runs off 15 balls), and Mitchell Santner (3 runs off 4 balls), hindered CSK’s chase. Eventually, CSK fell short, managing 191/7 in their 20 overs.
