Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 218/5 in 20 overs, where as Chennai Super Kings scored 191/7 in 20 overs.
So, finally Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs.
RCB survived a late Jadeja-Dhoni scare to finish on the right side of yet another Chinnaswamy thriller against CSK, usurping them for the fourth playoff spot.
An exceptional batting effort took RCB to 218, and the bowlers did just enough to restrict CSK to under 200, securing the fourth spot based on a marginally better NRR than their opposition.
Where the Game Was Won
The middle overs.
CSK lost their way after a strong start that kept RCB on their toes.
Shivam Dube’s failure to get going and the run-out of Rachin Ravindra left CSK with too much to do at the death.
Despite coming close, the wobble in the middle overs proved costly.
In contrast, RCB rose to the occasion during this period, scoring at more than 10 an over.
The middle-overs difference
| Parameters | RCB | CSK |
|---|---|---|
| Runs | 96/2 | 71/4 |
| Run-rate | 10.67 | 7.88 |
| 4s/6s | 6 and 6 | 3 and 3 |
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Power Play: Rain Clips RCB’s Wings
Phase score: 42/0 in 6 overs [RR: 7.00, 4s/6s: 3/3]
Tushar Deshpande found some swing in a tidy first over, but Faf du Plessis got going in the second, bowled by Shardul Thakur.
Virat Kohli made up for Deshpande’s first over by hitting two sixes in his second – a swivel-pull crashing against the roof behind square and another dance down the pitch for a pull.
RCB were 31/0 in 3 overs when a brief rain break interrupted play.
Upon resumption, the ball gripped and turned as CSK’s spinners, Maheesh Theekshana and Mitchell Santner, made the RCB openers struggle to time the ball.
Only 11 runs came from the next 3 overs, with just one boundary, as the ball spun sharply, consistently beating both openers’ bats.
Middle-Overs: RCB Lose Two but Hit Back
Phase score: 96/2 [RR: 10.67, 4s/6s: 6/6]
CSK brought on more spin with Ravindra Jadeja joining in, getting vicious turn at 100 km/h, which frustrated an already scratchy du Plessis.
Kohli, however, took his chances, hitting a four off the outside edge and then slog-sweeping for his third six.
Another slog sweep off a full Santner delivery resulted in a low six.
Kohli’s effective knock ended next ball, caught at long-on by Daryl Mitchell off a leading edge.
Du Plessis, adjusting to the turn, began targeting the straight and cover fences, hitting a four and two sixes off Jadeja, going from 30 off 29 to 54 off 39.
His dismissal came when a straight drive from Rajat Patidar ricocheted off Santner’s hand to hit the stumps, catching du Plessis short.
Despite Theekshana and Santner’s combined 8 overs for 48 runs, RCB maintained a high scoring rate.
Death-Overs: Green, Patidar, Karthik Provide Flying Finish
Phase score: 80/3 [RR: 16.00, 4s/6s: 5/7]
The RCB trio unleashed carnage against Thakur and Deshpande.
Green used his long levers to swing through the line, with even mistimed hits sailing for sixes.
His 17-ball 38 included three fours and three sixes.
Patidar, like Kohli, smashed four sixes in his whirlwind 41 off 23.
Every RCB batter who faced more than one ball hit at least one four and one six, with Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell adding 30 off the 11 balls they faced.
During this phase, RCB became the first team this season to hit 150 sixes.
Shardul and Deshpande conceded 110 in their eight overs as RCB cruised to 218/5, needing to restrict CSK to 200 or below to make the playoffs.
Chennai Super Kings
PowerPlay: CSK Recover Quickly After Two Wickets
Phase score: 58/2 [RR: 9.67, 4s/6s: 7/1]
Ruturaj Gaikwad fell to an innocuous ball from Glenn Maxwell on the first delivery of the chase, and Daryl Mitchell departed early, but Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra found runs against the quicks.
They punished Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal for their loose lengths, taking easy boundaries square of the wicket.
Rahane hit the only six of the phase, providing CSK an ideal launchpad in the 200-run chase.
Middle-Overs: Slow Going, Ravindra Run-Out, and a Faf Blinder
Phase score: 71/4 [RR: 7.88, 4s/6s: 3/3]
Swapnil Singh bowled two excellent overs for just 13 runs, without a single boundary.
Ravindra and Rahane compensated in Karn Sharma’s over, taking 14 off it.
Lockie Ferguson struck with his first ball, removing Rahane and using his variations well to concede just two singles.
Maxwell’s tight over further escalated CSK’s asking rate.
Ferguson’s next over, marred by a waist-high no-ball that went for a four, saw the ensuing free-hit ball and the one after smashed for sixes.
However, a mix-up between Ravindra and Shivam Dube led to Ravindra’s run out.
Dube wasted a reprieve from a dropped catch, falling to Maxwell two balls later.
Du Plessis then took a one-handed diving catch at mid-off to send Santner back, leaving MS Dhoni with CSK needing 90 off 30 for a win and 72 to reach the playoffs.
Death-Overs: Yash Dayal Bounces Back in Last-Over Finish
Phase score: 62/1 [RR: 12.4, 4s/6s: 5/4]
Two overs in, the scales tipped in RCB’s favor with CSK needing 50 off the last 18 balls.
Jadeja then swung the game back in balance by taking on Siraj in a 15-run over.
Ferguson’s struggle with the wet ball persisted, with both CSK batters capitalizing.
Each got a four before Jadeja closed the over with a six over deep mid-wicket.
With 17 needed off 6, Dhoni hit a full toss from Dayal over the fine leg roof, but Dayal held his nerve, bowling a back-of-the-hand slower ball that dismissed Dhoni.
With 10 required off 2, Dayal beat Jadeja’s bat twice, securing the win for RCB.
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