CSK vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2024: Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja help Chennai beat Bengaluru by six wickets

After their six-wicket defeat against CSK, RCB captain Faf du Plessis speaks at the post-match presentation. 

Asked about Karthik and Rawat's performace at the end for RCB, du Plessis says: "Really good for Dinesh setting up the season for someone who hasn't really played a lot of cricket in the last year. Really important knock for himself. Rawat showed some really promise even last year. He showed composure."

After their six-wicket defeat against CSK, RCB captain Faf du Plessis speaks at the post-match presentation. He is asked by Brian Lara about the decision to pick batting first after winning the toss.

He says: "If you look at the stats, it is very in favour of batting first. It looked a bit on the drier side. The spinners, in the second innings, the ball started to grip a bit. We backed our seamers against Dube. But batting first was the right decision."

After their six-wicket defeat against CSK, RCB captain Faf du Plessis speaks at the post-match presentation. 

Asked about their short ball plan backfiring against Dube, du Plessis says: "Dube wasn't comfortable with the short ball, we were trying to get a few wickets in the middle overs. But didn't happen."

After their six-wicket defeat against CSK, RCB captain Faf du Plessis speaks at the post-match presentation. 

"You have to get ahead in the first six overs. Chennai squeeze you with their spinners. We lost too many wickets in the first six overs. We were 15-20 runs short on a pitch that wasn't as bad as we played in the first ten overs. We were always a little bit behind trying to get ahead of the game. They were always ahead of the game," says du Plessis.

With today's win, CSK have registered eight wins on the bounce for against RCB at Chepauk. 

The defending champions get off on a winning note with a six-wicket victory in the IPl 2024 opener. 

Before the match began, you'd have given a penny and then some for Ravindra Jadeja's thoughts. With all the talk about smooth transition the second time around, the implied messaging regarding CSK's captaincy change was that they messed up last time with how the attempted transition went with Jadeja. 

But the allrounder, effective as he almost always been for CSK in Chennai, picked up from where he left off last season. After hitting the winning runs and famously sprinting to MS Dhoni in the dugout to celebrate their title, Jadeja started off the 2024 edition with a match-winning all-round show. With the ball in hand, he darted a few 100kph-plus deliveries in, finished overs before the batter could breathe, and had figures of 0/21 in 4 overs. With the bat, he played a smart hand to remain unbeaten on 25*. He might not be the leader, but he remains central to CSK.

Joseph bowls one down the leg-side which hits the pads of Dube and runs away for a boundary for the defending champions to win the first game of the 2024 campaign. It has not been a flawless run chase they had their fair share of troubles through it but in the end,, they found a method. For RCB it is all the same looked in good patches and let the game away in crucial moments. CSK off the mark RCB has to wait. 

CSK needs 10 runs to win. This has been an inspired inning from Dube though he has been peppered with short pitch deliveries he found a method to survive and is now on the verge of taking Chennai Super Kings for their first win of this year's campaign. While at one point short ball tactic did look good RCB over did it. 

The game seems to have drifted away from RCB's grip in that over. Dube guided one for a boundary through point for one boundary and then Joseph bowled another bouncer which Rawat could not take cleanly the ball ran away for the boundary and he injured his fingers which the physio had to come and look.

Green bowls another one to complete the quota of fourth and fifth bowlers for the day. The Australian all-rounder already showing his worth in the first game of the tournament. Shivam Dube needs to get on the move on here. He has been struggling to deal with the short ball he needs to find a method here and now for CSK to win. 

Dinesh Karthik's 38* is his highest IPL score at his home ground in Chennai, across 16 years of IPL. But in the mid-innings interview, the veteran was refreshingly honest in his assessment. "Bit rusty. Right till the end, I was just fighting my form. It wasn't coming as smoothly as I'd like. But understandable I guess, spending a lot of time with you all (in commentary) this is what happens at the start. I am just trying to get into the groove of things," DK said referring to his spent in recent months behind the microphone. Heaping praise on Anuj Rawat for his terrific knock, the Tamil Nadu cricketer went on to remark he felt RCB were a bit under par despite their recovery. "The last over Deshpande bowled really well, but I couldn't connect to hit one six. If I could have hit one six that would be the difference between 182-183 and the 173."

CSK need 46 runs from the last five overs as we head towards the time out of the game. It is not an undoable task but from here. But the CSK batters seem to be at a crossroads on how to deal with the short ball in this chase. In the time out they might discuss it and come up with a strategy to counter it. 

With two left-handers in the middle Faf has now turned to Maxwell. Jadeja smoked one over Maxwell's head as he tossed up but still,, the bowler gave only seven runs which is brilliant under the circumstances. The pressure is starting to pile on the Super Kings. RCB is chipping away with their overs. 

This has been a brilliant usage of two bounce-in-over rules from RCB. Green has picked another wicket with the short ball. It is Mitchell this time who departs. This has been brilliant captaincy from Faf today so far. He has used his bowling options well and has turned the game significantly in the last 15 minutes or so. 

Joseph is in the middle of a good spell here. While his figures are not indicative of it his bowling with some serious pace he is hitting hard lengths consistently and troubling the batters. Dube who has trouble facing short balls is being tested to his limits. And looks like that is going to be the mode of operanda for Faf for a while. 

Cameron Green has taken the ball and picks Rahane. He bowls the short ball initially which Rahane pulls for a six and the following ball he hits it to Glenn Maxwell who took an excellent diving catch on the boundary. CSK has played their hand of substitute by brining Shivam Dube in to bat at five. 

Another expensive over from Karn Sharma he tossed a few up which Mitchell muscled back his head for a couple of sixes. This was the same problem Karn Sharma had last year when he struggled to keep a lid on his scoring rate. While the idea of tossing the ball up and hoping the batter would make a mistake was right Mitchell is too good at playing those shots. 

For Rachin Ravindra, Bengaluru is like home away from home. His family's roots are based in the southern city, and he has accompanied his parents frequently when they visit for a month or so. During the ODI World Cup last year, on his visit to M Chinnaswamy Stadium – where he scored a century in front of emotional family members – Rachin recalled visiting the stadium as a 10-year-old and watching Sachin Tendulkar in action. 

On his IPL debut, he was pitted against the franchise from that very city in one of the most-watched rivalries in the league. There were no sentiments spared though as he put the team Bengaluru under immense pressure with a stylish 15-ball 37 with three fours and three sixes. He slotted right in to replace his compatriot Devon Conway. One of the flicks for four made Kevin Pietersen remark on air that it was Brian Lara-esque for wristwork. If Rachin keeps this up, Chennai will quickly make him one of their own.

Right at the stroke of strategic time out Rachin slog-swept Karn Sharma straight to deep fine leg. Much-needed breakthrough for CSK. Though they have picked up two wickets CSK is still ahead in this game because they have been going at 10s in a run rate which only requires about 8.50

Ajinkya Rahane plays a shot reminiscent of Kohli's famous MCG six however this one goes over covers off Dayal. This has been an excellent powerplay for CSK. The onus is on RCB spinners to tighten the grips and pick a few wickets or else with the start CSK has got it looks like an easy chase at the minute. 

Rachin is striking around 300 now for CSK this would be the precise role given to him which is to go and express himself in the Powerplay. Though RCB has picked up a wicket they have been going for runs it has nothing to do with their inaccuracy but Rachin has been a lot more proactive with his efforts. 

After a couple of expensive overs,, Dayal drags RCB back into the game with the wicket of CSK skipper who tries to drive the ball on the up when it is swinging and gets the edge to Green who gallops the ball on the second attempt. Ajinkya Rahane has walked into the middle and one thing enjoys is pace early on in his innings. 

Rachin too has started well here. He is playing some aggressive shots which are running away to the boundary,, especially with only two fielders outside the ring. Siraj though has bowled well and is going at 14s in this first spell which is not the start RCB wants. On the other hand the start Rachin is giving can let Gaikwad take his team.

Substitute Yash Dayal has taken the new ball from the other end. He too hit his length right from the first ball. Alzari Joseph is another option RCB has up their ranks who bowls extremely quickly. It will be also interesting to see how Rachin will handle the occasion of his IPL debut. 

Mohammed Siraj has taken the new ball for RCB and similar to CSK's new ball bowlers he did get some swing with the new ball. While CSK bowlers could not use it well it will be interesting to see how RCB uses it. He did concede a couple of boundaries in that over which can be credited to Gaikwad's brilliance than erring in lines or lengths. 

We are back for the second innings. We had a DJ show during the mid-innings break hence the delay. Coming back to cricket it is going to require a solid effort from both sides to win from here on. Both sides will be hoping to get a good powerplay here.

Feel a bit rusty. Right till the last over, I was finding my form. Wasn’t coming as smoothly but that’s understandable. I was trying hard, we were in a pressure situation and I was trying to stitch a partnership with a young guy who’s been around for a while. It is a very good pitch, and looks good for batting. We are slightly under par, so we need to field well and bowl out of our skin. We lost a few wickets in the middle, that hurt us. In the back end, if we connected with a few sixes then that could make the difference. Chasing 182-183 would be a lot more tricky than 173. We need to field well, but I know we are more than capable of that. The best part is I might not be there on the field, so even better for us (laughs off)

That's the end of the innings. It has been a brilliant comeback from RCB. The innings were going up and down throughout and in the end, it was RCB who would have the last laugh. It is not a winnable total but something which RCB bowlers can fight. CSK does have a strong batting line and there might be dew which may help their cause. Stay with us for all the action coming up in the 2nd innings. 

Expensive over from Fizz this time. RCB has extracted 41 runs from the last two overs. This is brilliant power-hitting from RCB in the final overs of the innings. They were in deep trouble however, Karthik and Rawat were playing a lovely hand. They have reached a total which their bowlers can try and defend. 

Rawat pummeled Deshpande for 15 runs in the 18th over. It has been clean striking of the cricket ball. While Despande bowled poor deliveries Rawat with his brute power cleared the rope with ease. It was a problem for Deshpande last season where he struggled with his lines and has started this season the same way. 

Gaikwad has turned to Fizz and he will be bowling 17 and 19 with Tushar from the other end. He bowled some lovely slower ones to Rawat and only conceded a boundary. One noticeable thing from Fizz today has been the pace of his quicker delivery which was over 135 consistently. 

Gaikwad has rotated his bowlers nicely here. We have reached the second break of the innings and this passage has belonged to CSK. RCB has lost their way big time after the start Faf has given them. With four over remaining they would be looking to add another 50 runs however, they need to deal with clever variations of Mustafizur. 

Anuj Rawat scored a couple of boundaries in the last over and RCB would be hoping that would inject some momentum into the innings. As of now, they are going at a sluggish rate on a Chennai surface which has been good for batting. Dinesh Karthik is the local boy and he is aware of the conditions and hopes to use all his experience here. 

The commentators just mentioned that for checking Rahane+Rachin's catch at the boundary rope for Virat Kohli's dismissal, the Smart Replay System was used. It is something new being tried out in IPL, and has multiple elements to it. But in essence, it's being used to speed up the game. As we saw on air, the decision on big screen came up quite quickly before we saw replays (later on). In essence, according to ESPNCricinfo, the TV umpire will receive inputs directly from two Hawk-Eye operators who will be sitting in the same room as the umpire. "TV Umpire to Director...." had become a popular phrase on air, but the director will reportedly no longer be involved.

The wicket has been good for batting but RCB like over the years have once again found a way to shoot themselves in the foot and lost wickets in clusters. While Mustafizur's bowling has been brilliant batters did their part as well. Given the situation, the visitors need to find a way to get 150 from here which would give something to their bowlers to fight. 

Another two wickets over from Mustafizur here. It was Virat initially who tried to pull a short one but was undone by a brilliant combined catch from Rahane and Rachin. Green later in the over gave himself room and tried to cut the ball missed and got himself bowled. This is a roaring comeback from CSK after the initial assault from Faf.

The spinners are getting the grips of the RCB run rate here. Though the wicket is not gripping the CSK spinners are firing it in and not giving the batters any air to work with. Superb this from CSK. Kohli and Green on the other hand are getting into a bit of a rut here neither are they rotating strike nor or they getting the boundaries away. 

Virat Kohli completed 12,000 runs in T20 cricket during the IPL 2024 opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

Kohli reached the milestone when he touched six runs during the season-opening contest. The 35-year-old RCB batter is the sixth player overall and the first Indian to reach the 12000-run landmark in T20 cricket. (Read more)

We have reached the first strategic time out of the season and it has been a shared passage of play so far. Faf has given the start RCB needed after which though they lost three wickets they still have Kohli and Green at the crease. These two need to take this innings as deep as possible for RCB to get a score of around 160-180. 

Almost eight overs into the game Kohli has only played eight balls here. A lot of responsibility weighs on his shoulders on how much RCB will score here. While there has been criticism over his strike rate in the past today the circumstances have turned such that he can play his natural game. 

Deepak Chahar picks Glenn Maxwell. 41/0 quickly turned to 42/3 here in Chennai. This has been an excellent comeback from Chennai in the second half of Powerplay. Cameron Green has walked into the middle it is going to be a challenge for especially against the spinners of CSK

Gaikwad turns to Mustafizur and he does the damage. First, it was Faf who tried to loft the ball through off-side and got the bottom edge to deep point Rachin who took a lovely catch and then Patidar poked at a wide one without his feet moving nicking to CSK's young wicket-keeper who took a simple catch. 

Theekshana has been brought into the attack in the powerplay and he has bowled quicker through the air and tried to cramp the batters for the room in that first over. Challenges early in the piece for Gaikwad with either of his pacers not hitting their straps especially Chahar whose is strength is swinging the ball has been on the shorter side. 

Sandip G: The feverish Chennai Super Kings fans did not fuss over Faf du Plessis stroking three fours in the first two overs. All strokes— cover drive, a leg-side tuck and a backfoot punch—were all sweetly times. But more than the aesthetics, it was the appeal of the South African that had the crowd celebrating his hits to the fence. Until a couple of years, he was a crowd favourite, one of their own, and him switching allegiances was not seen as a betrayal. Du Plessis fed on their love, hit three more fours in quick time, and furnished RCB with a racing start.

Tushar Deshpande has taken the new ball from the other end and he did bowl a few looseners which Faf did feast upon. Good start for the RCB skipper who is coming off the lean patch in other franchise tournaments. With the ball swinging CSK needs to pick a few early wickets. 

Deepak Chahar bowled the first over of the innings. He did get some swing in that opening over, however, but could not hit the right lines. Faf did drive one sublimely through covers for a boundary. The pitch looks like a belter and RCB would be looking to post a good total in the first innings. 

National anthems are underway. Both openers will walk in. The atmosphere is buzzing in Chepauk. It is going to be a cracking opening clash. All set for now the play to start

The square boundaries are 65m and 66m respectively and the straight boundary is long at 80m. It looks a great wicket, but there are a few cracks and the looseness around the cracks is worrying, it could lead to some inconsistent bounce, but it's generally looking good. The ball will turn, there's some dampness and the spinners could use that. Dew could be a factor, the captain winning the toss would want to bowl first, reckon Kevin Pietersen and Brian Lara, in their pitch report.

The IPL has witnessed several international stars showcasing their best in the showpiece league over the last 16 editions. Several accomplished cricketers have also prolonged their playing days beyond international retirement with the Indian Premier League.

Shane Warne led Rajasthan Royals to the inaugural title a year after retiring from internationals in 2007. So did Adam Gilchrist who led the now-defunct Deccan Chargers to the title in 2009. Here is a look at the oldest IPL cricketers over the years: (Read more)

Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni(w), Deepak Chahar, Maheesh Theekshana, Mustafizur Rahman, Tushar Deshpande

Faf du Plessis(c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat(w), Karn Sharma, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj

MS Dhoni might have relinquished captaincy, but he is still CSK’s Captain Cool. He  smacked of coolness when he strode onto the ground, in blue tees with a splash of yellow, blue shots and black gloves, without the keeping pads. “Semma cool, MS,” was the common refrain as the untied end of his hair danced and dangled in the mild seabreeze. He gathered a few throwdowns, with  gracefully brisk motion. The crowd kept screaming his name, but immune to the cheers, he continued his practice, lost in his zen, before disappearing into the dressing room. A fan in the crowd sighed: “This is how we are going to see Dhoni this year, in cameos.” “Athu pothum (that’s enogh), his friend replied. But once the IPL begins, they would not have enough of him.

Feel privledged. But I want to try and be in my shoes, not fill anybody's shoes. I got to know last week, but Mahi bhai hinted at it last year. Everyone is experienced here, sadly we are missing Conway and Pathirana. We've got Rachin and Mitchell coming in though. Four overseas - Mitchell, Rachin, Fizz and Theekshana. The mystery spinner Sameer Rizvi is making his debut as well.

We'll bat first. Looks a good wicket, conditions here are a bat first wicket. First time back here, great to see the Chennai fans again but I'm here with RCB and hopefully we can turn over a very good CSK team. Prep has been good, we need to turn up now. A seasoned campaigner, brings that experience. Really good, our bowling resources fit well. Got more backup. Hopefully, injuires don't bother us too much. Alzarri Joseph comes in tonight, got a few spinners in the middle. And since we are batting first, we'll see how it goes

The IPL 2024 opener between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru had not even begun, but Rishabh Malakar’s jaws were already aching. “I have posed for a thousand selfies,” the software engineer from Indore says, sweat dripping from his forehead, his yellow jersey blazing. The reason for his fame hits you without saying. He bears an uncanny resemblance with MS Dhoni. He spots long hair like Dhoni does these says. He has nurtured a stubble, “with much care,” he emphasises.

He was not a Dhoni superfan to begin with. But when he was in class nine, someone in the neighbourhood called him MS Dhoni and told him he resembles him. He would he first of the many and his fanfare just swelled. “Just a random guy in the street called me Dhoni and it just stuck. Then a lot of people then began to call me. Initially I thought they were making fun of me. Then I realised I resemble him from certain angles. Then I became a Dhoni fan,” he says. (Read more)

The toss is delayed by 10 minutes. 

Unlike Chepauk, where Dhoni will use spinners to strangle oppositions and Wankhede where Mumbai will use pacers who extract bounce to good effect, RCB captains have not really had any such luxuries. With 65m-long square boundaries in a format where horizontal bat shots are most common, anything that is pitched remotely in the short-pitched zone tends to disappear into the top tier of the stadium. And with the straight boundaries being only 70m, good length and full deliveries have often found their destination on the roof.

In the inaugural match of Indian Premier League 2024 Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on defending champions Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Friday. While Ruturaj Gaikwad’s side has an opening slot to fix in the absence of Devon Conway Faf du Plessis-led RCB needs to sort out their spin combination.

Apart from that both teams have powerful batting line-ups which would blow any opposition on a given day. The likes of Ruturaj Gaikwad, Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, and a rejuvenated Ajinkya Rahane form the core of the batting line-up for CSK. As per RCB Virat Kohli, skipper Faf and Glenn Maxwell have done the heavy lifting in last season but the additions of Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green would give a bit more freedom at the top.

On any given day during the summer, the energy levels at M Chinnaswamy Stadium can act as a catalyst for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). Speaking strictly of atmosphere, the franchise can stand on an equal footing with Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Despite the trophy-less years, it still enjoys a fanatical following with the decibel levels at the stadium on match days capable of intimidating noise. Perhaps as intimidating as Chepauk when it clears its throats as MS Dhoni takes guard or Wankhede when Rohit Sharma tees off.

But the Chinnaswamy stadium is nowhere close to being an intimidating venue for the opposition from a cricketing perspective. Thanks to the venue’s history of offering flat decks to go with short boundaries on all sides, it is a stadium where opposition teams take the field fully aware that they have an even chance. As RCB head into the 17th season of the Indian Premier League, their win percentage at Chinnaswamy Stadium reads 46.51. To put it in perspective, Chennai has a win percentage of 70.96 at Chepauk, Mumbai 62.33 at Wankhede, Sunrisers Hyderabad 62% at Uppal and Kolkata Knight Riders 57.31 at Eden Gardens.