IPL 2020: CSK vs RCB Review – Kohli, bowlers humble CSK by 37 runs

Chennai Super Kings’ terrible run of form continued as they conceded yet another defeat, this time to Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 25 of IPL 2020. RCB were spot on with their decision-making throughout the match, thanks to skipper Virat Kohli leading from the front.

After opting to bat first, they lost Aaron Finch early and then Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli stitched a patient partnership. But there was no pace to the innings. Moreover, Padikkal getting out and AB de Villiers bagging a duck made things worse for RCB.

However, their skipper was still in the middle and he took the attack to the opposition in the last three overs. He got decent support from Shivam Dube but it was all about Kohli on the day as he seamlessly shifted gears to stun the CSK bowlers. RCB added 52 runs in the last three overs of the innings to finish on 169 after 20 overs with Kohli alone scoring an unbeaten 90.

CSK, in response, were never in the chase and their openers yet again started slowly and went back without making up for the dot balls they played. Ambati Rayudu and N Jagadeesan stitched a partnership but they could never shift gears. MS Dhoni’s poor form also continued and they were restricted to 132 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the end.

Turning Points

Virat Kohli’s knock: What if Virat Kohli was dismissed early? Yes, that is the kind of difference he made in this game. If not for him, RCB would’ve ended up well short of the 150-run mark and might have lost the game as well. In Dubai, where the boundaries are long enough, the RCB captain ran as many as 50 runs between the wickets and still managed to maintain the strike-rate of 173.08.

CSK openers’ wickets: Washington Sundar finally has some role to play for RCB. He has performed ever since he has been bowling in the powerplay and even in this game, there was no different. He came into the attack and nipped out both the CSK openers. Already under pressure, Shane Watson and Faf du Plessis, tried to attack him and gave away their wickets. This is where the match turned as CSK didn’t get a good start.

Top performers

Records/Personal Milestones

• This is the biggest win for RCB over CSK in the IPL ever
• CSK last lost five of their seven matches back in the 2010 season

Way Ahead

With the tournament entering its second phase, RCB will next face KKR on Monday while CSK will lock horns against SRH on October 13 in Dubai.