Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) defied all odds and accomplished the impossible by edging out Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to secure a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Despite the looming threat of rain and a passing shower, RCB needed to win by at least 18 runs but exceeded expectations by winning by 27 runs.
Star RCB batter Virat Kohli and his wife, Anushka Sharma, were emotionally overwhelmed following the team's triumph. The couple couldn't hold back their tears of joy as they celebrated the win.
See the reactions here:
In a post on X, a netizen wrote, “Anushka Sharma is legit us celebrating the wicket and cheering for RCB.”
CSK won the toss and opted to bat first. RCB posted a formidable score of 218/5, with skipper Faf du Plessis (54 off 39 balls, three fours, three sixes) and Virat Kohli (47 off 29 balls, three fours, four sixes) putting together a 78-run partnership. This set a solid platform for Rajat Patidar (41 off 23 balls, two fours, four sixes) and Cameron Green (38* off 17 balls, three fours, three sixes) to add a crucial 71-run stand for the third wicket. Cameos from Dinesh Karthik (14 off six balls, one four, one six) and Glenn Maxwell (16 off five balls, two fours, one six) propelled RCB to a 200-plus total.
RCB needed to restrict CSK to below 201 runs to qualify for the playoffs and surpass their net run rate. During CSK's chase of 219, they faced early setbacks and were reduced to 19/2. Rachin Ravindra (61 off 37 balls, five fours, three sixes) and Ajinkya Rahane (33 off 22 balls, three fours, one six) stitched a 66-run partnership to bring CSK back into the game. However, RCB pegged them back to 129/6.
A late surge from Ravindra Jadeja (42* off 22 balls, three fours, three sixes) and MS Dhoni (25* off 13 balls, three fours, one six) threatened RCB's dominance. Despite this, Yash Dayal successfully defended 11 runs in the final over, limiting CSK to 191/7 in 20 overs.
RCB clinched the fourth spot with seven wins and seven losses, accumulating 14 points. CSK also slid to fifth place with seven wins and seven losses due to an inferior net run rate.
(With inputs from ANI)
