Spin proved an exaggerated threat as Royal Challengers Bengaluru pacers smothered Chennai Super Kings’ chase of 197 runs to secure a 50-run victory at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium on Friday, its first at the venue since 2008.
On a two-paced surface, losing the toss played into the Royal Challengers’ hands, allowing their quicks to ambush Super Kings’ pursuit by hitting the hard lengths and taking pace off.
CSK vs RCB, as it happened: Royal Challengers win first game against Super Kings in Chepauk since 2008
Josh Hazlewood drew first blood, forcing miscued pull shots from Rahul Tripathi and Ruturaj Gaikwad to midwicket and deep fine leg, respectively, in the second over. Deepak Hooda perished while attempting to run down Bhuvneshwar Kumar to third man and handed an edge to Jitesh Sharma behind the stumps.
CSK was clinging onto hope during Shivam Dube and Rachin Ravindra’s 23-run alliance for the fifth wicket. The former picked 10 runs off Suyash Sharma, smoking him over long on before pulling past short fine leg.
But the pair chopped onto their stumps against Yash Dayal in the space of four deliveries to all but settle the affair in the 13th over. M.S. Dhoni’s 16-ball stay that included two full-bladed whacks off Krunal Pandya in the final over square leg was consolation for the fans.
That RCB escaped the much-feared middle-over squeeze which CSK excels at was as much due to the home side’s mistakes as it was to the lack of assistance for the tweakers. Rajat Patidar (51, 32b, 4×4, 3×6) was awarded two lives which allowed the captain to pull his side to an above-par total.
Patidar’s down-the-ground hoist on 17 off Ravindra Jadeja came off the toe-end of his bat but was spilt by Deepak Hooda at long off. In the next over, Noor Ahmad induced a miscue to deep cover where Rahul Tripathi grassed the chance.
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The RCB captain accumulated 14 runs off Jadeja’s next over, ensuring CSK was left to rue its follies. He sliced Khaleel over backward point to bring up his half-century in just 30 deliveries.
RCB’s total was still within sight when Matheesha Pathirana nabbed Patidar and Krunal Pandya in the penultimate over but Tim David’s 18-run siege off Sam Curran in the final over gave the visitor more than enough to fight with.
Phil Salt was the first to allay any fears against spin, going for an on-sided heave behind square off R. Ashwin in the second over that cleared the fence. He breached the boundary twice more in the same over with a drive and a sweep.
Salt’s early burst allowed his team to accommodate Virat Kohli’s scratchy start who could not hit his straps despite being granted chants of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ from a partisan Chepauk audience. He needed a full toss from Ahmad to pick his first boundary off his 13th delivery.
But Kohli’s share of affection was exhausted when Dhoni delivered a second stumping in as many games to account for Salt when he was beaten by Ahmad’s googly.
Devdutt Padikkal’s 14-ball cameo concluded when his inside out loft off Ashwin went awry and found the cover fielder.
It took a bouncer from Pathirana that rapped the helmet to get Kohli fired up, prompting a hook over fine leg and a whip over mid wicket in reply from RCB’s talisman. The retaliation, though, was brief as he holed out to deep midwicket while slog sweeping Ahmad.
But Patidar hung around at the other end, eventually laying the foundation for breaching the fortress.