Defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) have made a winning start to their IPL 2024 campaign, beating the Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 wickets, successfully chasing 174. The Super Kings made a promising start to their run-chase, but Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja took their side over the line BY 6 wickets despite finding themselves in a spot of bother briefly.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru staged a brilliant recovery after a top-order collapse to post 173 for 6 in 20 overs after captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat first against defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram stadium.
Lower middle-order batters Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik stitched a 6th-wicket partnership worth 95 runs to help the team recover from 78 for 5 to reach the respectable total at Chepauk.
Rawat top-scored with 48 while Karthik remained unbeaten on 38 after CSK pacer Mustafizur Rahman bagged a 4-wicket haul.
RCB win the toss
The toss had been delayed to 7.40pm even though the captains have been out and ready. The start time stays at 8pm.
A dazzling opening ceremony took place at the ground before the toss with Akshay Kumar, AR Rahman, Tiger Shroff and Sonu Nigam entertaining the packed stadium.
"Generally it is always a bat-first wicket," says du Plessis, who knows the ground well as a former CSK player.
Notably, RCB hasn't won a game against CSK at this Chepauk venue since 2009.
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Gaikwad reacts to CSK's shift in leadership
Meanwhile, Gaikwad revealed at the toss that Dhoni had hinted to his teammates about giving up captaincy last season itself.
"Feel privledged. But I want to try and be in my shoes, not fill anybody's shoes. (On captaincy) I got to know last week, but Mahi bhai hinted at it last year," Gaikwad said after losing the toss.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru F du Plessis*, V Kohli, RM Patidar, GJ Maxwell, C Green, KD Karthik†, Anuj Rawat, KV Sharma, AS Joseph, MJ Dagar, Mohammed Siraj. Impact Player: Yash Dayal
Chennai Super Kings RD Gaikwad*, R Ravindra, AM Rahane, DJ Mitchell, RA Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni†, DL Chahar, M Theekshana, TU Deshpande, Mustafizur Rahman.