CSK Knocked Out as RCB Clinch Playoff Spot with 6 Consecutive Victory
CSK out of IPL 2024 playoffs race as they are beaten by RCB in a thrilling match.
To assist RCB win a thrilling match, Yash Dayal remained composed and let up just seven runs in the final over.
Chennai Super Kings 191 for 7 (Ravindra 61, Jadeja 42*, Dayal 4-42) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 218 for 5 (Du Plessis 54, Kohli 47, Patidar 41, Green 38, Thakur 2-61) by 27 runs.
Virat Kohli appeared almost emotional. Faf du Plessis’s happiness was uncontrollable. Following the match, MS Dhoni was nowhere to be found. All of it encapsulated Bengaluru’s wild night as Royal Challengers Bengaluru eliminated Chennai Super Kings from the IPL 2024 by winning their sixth straight game.
RCB has experienced this scenario numerous times; they must win their final league game in order to advance to the knockout stages. When they played there the previous year, they scored a respectable total that included a century from Kohli, but Shubman Gill’s ton eclipsed it all and eliminated them. They were in the same predicament again on Saturday.
They asked RCB to bat first. They scored 218 and needed to defeat CSK by a minimum of eighteen runs. They benefited from brilliant starts by du Plessis and Kohli, as well as brief appearances by Cameron Green and Rajat Patidar.
CSK was practically touching us. With Ravindra Jadeja, the batsman who hit a four and a six to give CSK their sixth title last year, on strike, they needed 10 off the final two balls to qualify.
However, Yash Dayal prevented Jadeja and CSK by bowling two balls of an off-pace length. This came after MS Dhoni hit the opening ball of the final over for a big six and was caught at deep square leg with a slower ball off the back of his hand. At that point, CSK’s hopes began to fade, and RCB never gave them back.
This season, Kohli has transformed himself unlike anyone else. With 37 runs scored this season, he leads not only the group of run scorers (708), but also the group of six-hitters. A couple of length balls were given by Tushar Deshpande, who properly placed them into the stands. When rain stopped the RCB’s onslaught at 31 for 0 in three overs, Du Plessis also got one off Shardul Thakur.
Maheesh Theekshana and Mitchell Santner have each bowled seven wickets in the two overs since the restart, suggesting that the 40-minute break appeared to have altered the course of events. Together with their 42 for 3 versus CSK in the season opening, RCB’s powerplay finish of 42 for none was their lowest score to date.
With sixes off Santner and Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli attempted to break the chains, but he holed out to wide long-on. However, after being on 29 off 28 at one stage, Du Plessis struck two sixes and a four of a Jadeja over to reach a 35-ball fifty.
It’s no secret that Patidar is a formidable spinner; he demonstrated this by hitting a huge long-off blow off Theekshana, the most economical bowler for CSK. He enjoys playing quick bowlers more, though. And that aspect became evident when he easily struck Simarjeet Singh for a four and a six in back-to-back balls. Along with Green, who unleashed his power game, he continued his unrelenting strokeplay against Deshpande and Thakur to turbocharge RCB’s advancement.
Green gave Simarjeet a hard smack before slamming Theekshana to the floor. As RCB reached 200 for the sixth time this season—becoming the third side to do so in an IPL season—he then hit Thakur for back-to-back sixes.
Also Read: IPL Winners List From 2008 to 2023: Records, Teams, and Historic Moments
What was the outcome? CSK gave up the most runs in the phase this season with 63 at the end (overs 17 to 20). When balls of off-pace length were dug in, the dew prevented them from gripping the ball and taking use of the pitch’s help. Following the first ball that was hit by Glenn Maxwell, who was brought back in place of Will Jacks, Ruturaj Gaikwad was caught at short fine leg.
Daryl Mitchell then miscued to wide mid-off for Dayal. Rachin Ravindra led CSK’s push in the powerplay, with Ajinkya Rahane providing some support. Rahane took aim at Dayal, hitting him for two well-timed fours and a six. Along with Ravindra, whose strategy appeared to be very straightforward—slice the length balls square through off—he contributed 66 off 41 for the third wicket.
Similar to how he did, defeating Maxwell in the opening over. The short ones of decent length would either be hurled through midwicket or ramped over short third, but he would use even the smallest width, like Mohammed Siraj gave in the fourth over, to bash it through point. He reached his half-century off of 31 balls and appeared to be the game-winning strike until he was run out due to a mix-up with Shivam Dube.
Dew was a constant in the middle there, so RCB was hesitant to bowl spin. This made it easier for Ravindra Jadeja, who took over when Ravindra was fired, to settle in right away. He started going with an off drive against Green and went on to hit sixes off of Dayal, Siraj, and Lockie Ferguson. Even with a lot of things tempered, it was insufficient to carry the side through.
In retrospect, it appears like the two teams were separated by the middle overs. RCB was led by Patidar and Green during that era. RCB was scoring boundaries at their discretion during that phase. It was the phase that prepared them for a grandiose comeback at bat.
In overs 7 to 16, RCB amassed 113 runs while losing just two wickets. However, CSK was unable to fully capitalize on the phase, managing to score just 80 points. In addition, they were without any momentum after losing four wickets in the phase—one in each of the 12th, 13th, and 14th innings. That was all the genius of du Plessis.
Mitchell Santner appeared to clear mid-off when he blasted a lofted off drive off Siraj. But, du Plessis made a quick move to his right and judiciously timed his leap to pull off a stunning one-handed shot. As a result, in just 13 balls, CSK surged from 115 for 3 to 129 for 6.
Dhoni decided to step out to bat as soon as could this season because of it. And if there is a fairytale ending at all, even his 25 off 13 was insufficient.
FAF on Yash Dayal
After rain interrupted their batting early on, the captain of RCB also remarked that the Chinnaswamy pitch “felt like a day-five Test match in Ranchi”.
Ten runs are needed, with two balls left. On Saturday night at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Chennai Super Kings’ formula was to maintain a higher net run rate than Royal Challengers Bengaluru in order to qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Ten off two was CSK’s formula in the previous year’s final as well, and Ravindra Jadeja had successfully applied it to help them win their fifth IPL championship. On Saturday, Jadeja was once more on strike. Could the past happen again?
Fortunately, not this time. With their sixth straight victory, RCB completed one of the greatest comebacks in T20 league history to secure qualification. Jadeja was denied by Yash Dayal, who produced consecutive swings and misses with a pair of nerveless slower balls.
After hitting 54 runs and making an incredible one-handed catch at mid-off to send Mitchell Santner back at a critical juncture in the chase, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was declared the Player of the Match. However, Du Plessis believed that Dayal should have received the prize for his execution with a wet ball during the match’s pivotal moments.
It was evident that things got a little close at one point, especially with MS [Dhoni] present. Don’t allow him to get his way. He has repeatedly done it. We attempted to replace the ball a few times during our wet ball bowling session, but I felt that it was difficult for the bowlers.
I dedicate the Man of the Match to Yash Dayal on my behalf. He bowled in an incredible manner tonight. Given the strain at the end for someone who is still relatively new to the position, he merits the MOM.” Because he believed bowlers had struggled to maintain control while trying the yorker that night, Du Plessis said he had requested Dayal to have faith in his slower ball during the last over. Thirteen full-tosses were dismissed by CSK’s fast bowlers, compared to six by RCB.
Du Plessis stated, “I said pace off on this wicket is the best option.” “Enjoy this and have faith in your abilities—you’ve been pretty good. This is the goal for which you train. He attempted to bowl the first one as a yorker, but it didn’t work the entire evening. We advised him to switch back to his pace-off, and he performed it incredibly effectively.”
Rain started to fall three overs into the RCB innings, which caused conditions to become difficult all night long. For around thirty minutes after the game resumed, it helped CSK’s spinners turn the ball in an unsettling manner by leaving a layer of moisture on the ground. Du Plessis felt that the circumstances at that phase were among the hardest he had ever played in. He batted with Virat Kohli during this time, who hit a critical 49 off 27 balls.
“I thought that was the hardest pitch I’ve ever played on after that rain,” he stated. “It seemed so hard; Virat and I were discussing a score of 140 to 150.
“Look, at that point, the umpires were informed that the pitch was heavily covered in rain, and that moisture was not something you wanted.” It makes logical that they [CSK] wanted to push the game as well, but when we returned, it felt, oh my god, like a Test match in Ranchi on day five. I’ve never participated in something similar. It was amazing how Virat and I managed to persevere and find a solution, and how we eventually achieved a 200-score.”
After the weather cleared, RCB completed 218 for 5, with their middle-order combination of Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, and Dinesh Karthik scoring 109 runs off of 51 balls. Du Plessis believed that RCB’s comeback during the second half of their league season had been largely attributed to the middle order.
“Have those been our last six games? a lot of batters that contributed with good strikeout rates and intensity,” du Plessis remarked. Extremely pleased with [the batters]. We thought we were a little slow at the start of the season and we wanted to bat with a little more purpose. And it’s amazing that you accomplished it once more.”
Even though the Royals were at the bottom of the standings with just one win in their first eight games, Du Plessis expressed gratitude for the RCB fans’ passionate home support, pointing out that they had continued to swarm the Chinnaswamy and sing the team’s name.
“That was insane,” du Plessis remarked. “We had the fans here even when we weren’t winning. Therefore, we had the impression in the dressing room that it was crucial that we get this right. Upon arriving here today and observing [the assistance], it was evidently well-arranged, wasn’t it?
CSK versus RCB, a game that advances to the knockout stages. Amazing environment, but we are very appreciative of all of the support we’ve had this season. We’ll perform a lap of honor as a squad to express our gratitude to everyone for their support.”
