Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore IPL 2024 match report

CSK vs RCB, IPL 2024: Mustafizur dents Bengaluru batting as Chennai triumphs in season opener

Chennai Super Kings 176 for 4 (Ravindra 37, Dube 34*, Green 2-27) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru 173 for 6 (Rawat 48, Karthik 38*, du Plessis 35, Mustafizur 4-29) by six wickets

Chennai Super Kings, under new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, enjoyed a winning start to their IPL title defense in front of a raucous Chepauk crowd on Friday night. Mustafizur Rahman, one of four CSK debutants, took out four of RCB’s top five batters in the space of ten balls to set up the victory.

After being put in to bat, RCB got off to a flying start thanks to Faf du Plessis, who hit seven fours in the first three overs. However, Mustafizur struck twice in the 6th over, removing du Plessis for 35 and Rajat Patidar for a duck. Glenn Maxwell also fell cheaply as RCB slumped from 37/0 to 42/3.

Anuj Rawat (48 off 25) and Dinesh Karthik (38* off 26) staged a late recovery to lift RCB to a competitive 173/6. But it proved insufficient as CSK chased down the target with 8 balls to spare.

Rachin Ravindra, playing his first IPL game, impressed with 37 off just 15 balls at a strike rate of 246.66. Shivam Dube, CSK’s Impact Player substitution, finished unbeaten on 34 off 28 balls along with Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 17) to see the team home.

For RCB, Cameron Green took 2/27 in his 3 overs but endured a disappointing debut with the bat, making just 18 off 22 balls. Glenn Maxwell was out for a first-ball duck.

MS Dhoni didn’t get a chance to bat in his first game since handing over the CSK captaincy to Gaikwad. The comfortable win suggests a smooth transition of leadership at the start of what is expected to be Dhoni’s final IPL season.

Conclusion

The opening match of IPL 2024 between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore showcased the strength and depth of the defending champions. Mustafizur Rahman’s devastating spell of 4/29 proved to be the game-changer, derailing RCB’s strong start.

Despite valiant efforts from Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik, RCB’s total of 173/6 was chased down comfortably by CSK, thanks to impactful contributions from debutant Rachin Ravindra and the experienced Shivam Dube.

The win marks a successful start to Ruturaj Gaikwad’s captaincy tenure and demonstrates that CSK remains a formidable force even as they navigate the transition from the MS Dhoni era. As for RCB, the loss highlights the need for their star-studded lineup to find consistency and better strategize their batting approach.

With the tournament just beginning, both teams will look to build on their performances and make necessary adjustments as they strive for IPL glory in the coming weeks.