RCB vs CSK Review – Sixes galore as Chennai reign supreme
The Match No. 24 of the Indian Premier League 2023 witnessed Royal Challengers Bangalore and Chennai Super Kings square off against each other at the iconic M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Super Kings managed to record a thrilling eight-run victory after posting a mammoth total of 226/6 while batting first. Skipper Faf du Plessis and star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell shone like bright stars as they managed to put Bangalore in the driver’s seat with sensational fifties. But Chennai managed to defend the total to earn two big points as Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 218/8.
The home team skipper won the toss and invited the MS Dhoni-led side to bat first in the ‘Southern Derby’ of the tournament. Although CSK lost the prized wicket of Ruturaj Gaikwad early in the powerplay, keeper-batter Devon Conway and Ajinkya Rahane carried the innings beautifully scoring 53 in the powerplay after a slow start.
Rahane, however, couldn’t capitalize on his brilliant start and was bowled off a nicely tossed-up delivery by Wanindu Hasaranga. Shivam Dube carried forward the momentum and smashed a few mammoth sixes to compile 52 runs off just 26 balls before losing his wicket to Wayne Parnell against the run of play. With the combined efforts, MS Dhoni’s batters put up 226/6 on the board.
For RCB, things never looked easy as ace batter Virat Kohli lost his wicket for just 6 runs followed by Mahipal Lomror, who gave away his wicket without troubling the scorers much.
Skipper du Plessis had other plans as he joined hands with Maxwell to put up an astonishing partnership of 126 runs. After the Aussie international was dismissed, the Bangalore skipper too, departed scoring a blistering 62 off 33 balls, which comprised five fours and four maximums.
Things looked easy for CSK bowlers after both the well-set batters made their way out. But Dinesh Karthik showed glimpses of his last season’s heroics as he added 28 off 14 but Chennai bowlers survived the late scare to win the game by eight runs.
Top performers from the match:
Devon Conway: The New Zealand opener gave Chennai a sensational start after losing his partner early. Conway smashed 83 off 45 with the help of six fours and as many sixes to bring his second consecutive fifty in IPL 2023.
Matheesha Pathirana: The young pacer conceded 28 runs from his first two overs but made a great comeback with two wickets for 42. He conceded just four runs in the 18th and gave away 10 runs in the 20th over with Suyash Prabhudesai’s wicket to earn the praise.
What’s next for both teams?
Chennai Super Kings host Sunrisers Hyderabad in their next game on April 21 while Royal Challengers Bangalore travel to Mohali to take on Punjab Kings on April 20.
