Royal Challengers Bangalore made a sensational entry into the top four, usurping Chennai Super Kings in the points table after beating them in Bengaluru.
A riveting match that oscillated towards both teams, ended with RCB players all around the Chinnaswamy Stadium, having kept CSK under 200, the target they needed to go through.
Before the match, CSK were the fourth-placed team with 14 points and a superior net run-rate. RCB, on 12 points, were tasked with winning the match with a margin of 18 runs. Having scored 218-5, they needed to restrict CSK to 200 or under.
At the nine-over mark of the chase, CSK were 85-2, with Rachin Ravindra and Ajinkya Rahane giving them a platform to go past the 200-run mark. However, a middle order collapse ensued, and CSK stumbled to 129-6.
It included a run-out of Ravindra, potentially a match-turning moment in the game, after a mix-up with Dube. Later, Dube – the Impact Player – holed out to the deep for 7 off 15, his innings highlighting the slow run-scoring in the middle overs. An unbelievable catch by Faf du Plessis, to dismiss
Barring Rahane and Ravindra, none of the top five managed to cross double digits, starting with captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, who was dismissed off the first ball of the innings, to Glenn Maxwell.
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Despite the lopsided look of the scorecard, the game pushed into the last over, with Jadeja and Dhoni putting on 61-run stand, broken only when Dhoni was dismissed with four balls to go. A ball before that, he had sent the ball out of the ground with a monstrous six.
Earlier, RCB posted a healthy 218-5, buoyed by stellar contributions from the top four: Kohli”s 47, du Plessis’ 54, Patidar’s 41 and Green’s 38 carried them past 200, with Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell providing the final flourish.
Shardul Thakur was the only one to claim two wickets, but he was also the second-most expensive, going at 15.2 per over. Simarjeet Singh conceded 19 in his one over.
RCB’s batting was interrupted early by a passing shower, after which the pitch started showing signs of turn. Mitchell Santner was the most economical, turning the ball sharply and finishing with 1-23.
With a seventh win in the row, RCB now have a net run-rate of +0.459. With CSK knocked out, this could have been Dhoni’s final professional game, although an official announcement hasn’t come.
