Aaarrrr Ceeeee Beeeeee in IPL 2024 playoffs
CSK needed 35 off 12 and then 17 off 6 to make the last four stage of IPL 2024. Dayal then bowled the over that denied CSK!
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RCB have been here so many times that it must feel routine - needing to win their last league game to qualify for the playoffs. They seemed to have done enough last year, when Kohli's ton took them close to 200, only for a masterclass from Gill to overshadow it and knock them out. Once again, RCB were asked to bat first. This time they never let the intensity down with the bat and, at the halfway stage you felt, batted CSK out of the contest.
Yet Ravindra and then Jadeja at the end with some Dhoni magic kept CSK hoping, only to be denied. Is this the result Dhoni's IPL career has to end with?
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Dayal with the Dhoni blow
It is the back of the hand slower one that does Dhoni in. Dayal went fast, short and quick and was pumped out of the ground first ball of the last over. But he managed to outsmart the veteran to give RCB the desired lift.
The win was hardly in question for CSK. Their qualification hopes hang by a thread now.
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Middle-overs show seals it for RCB?
It was the phase Patidar showed the way for RCB. It was the phase were boundaries came at well for RCB. It was a phase that set it all up for RCB's final burst at the death.
And it is the phase that seems to be CSK's downfall.
In the middle overs, RCB scored 113 runs for the loss of just two wickets. CSK have scored only 80 and have lost four wickets.t
CSK 138 for 6, need 81 to win but 63 - the runs they conceded at the death - to qualify
RCB have conceded 62 once and 70 once in the last four overs in IPL 2024
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Collapse Super Kings?
CSK from overs six to ten: 44 for 1
CSK from overs 11 to 15: 43 for 3
A stunner from Faf du Plessis, running to his right at mid-off and leaping at the perfect second to pluck one, dismissed Santner cheaply. And that has brought MS Dhoni to the middle at his earliest all season. With Jadeja at the other end.
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Ravindra's Bengaluru love affair
Rachin Ravindra has been quite clear with the areas he wants to target. He has been eyeing the arc between backward point to deep third and then the arc between long on and deep square leg. As a result, he has hardly missed out on short and short-of-length balls tonight. The cut shot, glides and heave across the line have made regular appearances at the M Chinnaswamy stadium. A 31-ball fifty to show for his efforts, following his century in the ODI World Cup here last year. Still going strong...
Uh oh! Catastrophe strikes CSK next over. A couple of balls after Siraj dropped a skier to offer Dube a reprieve, Ravindra was run-out after a combination of miscommunication and ball-watching.
CSK 115 for 4 in 13, need 104 to win, 86 more to qualify
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Pressure tactics feat. Swapnil
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First two overs from Swapnil Singh tonight. Perfect pressure-building stuff. Not giving width, slowing it down, making good use of the helpful pitch. Result? Only singles conceded despite Ravindra and Rahane being set.
In this IPL, Swapnil has conceded only four sixes in the 13 overs he has bowled, and none to a left-hand batter. Even tonight, he managed to keep Ravindra quiet.
All this meant Rahane looked to take on Lockie Ferguson on the first ball and only top-edged one towards wide mid-off. 33 off 22, work done from Rahane or left incomplete?
CSK 85 for 3 off 9.1
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Karn vs Rahane
114.3 Rahane's strike rate against Karn: 56 runs, 49 balls, 3 dismissals (before tonight)
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Injury scare for DK
Just as he was getting towards the stumps to collect a throw from Lomror, Karthik slipped and landed very awkwardly on the surface. He was seen being helped to walk off the field. But in a sudden turn of events, he was back to his keeping mark, with Swapnil Singh brought into the attack.
Here's Ashish Pant with more: "DK looked in a lot of pain before the start of this over. The physio was out attending to him. Think it is that right ankle which is troubling him. Looked like he was almost ready to walk off, but has stayed back after having a word with Faf."
CSK 64 for 2 after 7, need 155 to win but 137 to qualify
Ashish had his eyes peeled on both camps during the timeout: "Mike Hussey had a long chat with Rahane during the time out. Kohli leading the way in RCB's huddle with what looks like an animated chat. Another 'for 60 minutes let's give them hell' chat?"
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CSK hang in
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A 15-run over from Dayal helps CSK end the powerplay on a high. Ravindra was fortunate to get an outside edge through the vacant slip cordon for four. But Rahane managed to time his couple of fours well in that over.
8.72 CSK's run rate in the powerplay in IPL 2024, boosted by tonight's 9.66
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Maxwell gets Gaikwad
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Maxwell cannot believe it. He is off in celebration. A harmless shortish ball is top-edged by Gaikwad straight to short fine leg.
Only the third time Maxwell has picked up a wicket in the first over in the IPL. Before tonight, Gaikwad had scored 39 off the 10 balls he had faced of Maxi. Overall, he has nine wickets in the powerplay in the IPL.
As for Gaikwad, he has scored only 92 runs in nine innings (avg 11.50) when faced with a target of over 175 in the IPL.
Daryl Mitchell also lasts just six balls at No. 3 and miscues one off Yash Dayal.
CSK 19 for 2 off 2.2 overs
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CSK need 219 to win, 201 to qualify
What a game to have your worst performance at the death (overs 17 to 20). CSK gave away 63 in the last four overs, and that is the most they have conceded in the last phase in IPL 2024. They used Deshpande and Thakur for the entire phase and ended up conceding six sixes in the last four overs. Thanks to that, RCB also brought up a 200-run score for the sixth time this season, becoming the third team to do so in an IPL season.
Kohli and du Plessis started at top gear before a brief slow-down against spin after a rain break. Patidar and Green later capitalised on that.
Strangely, despite the balls gripping the surface when dug into the surface, CSK's bowlers failed to utilise that, especially in the last ten overs. The presence of dew might not have helped, even though there still was help for Thakur and Deshpande when they hit the hard lengths and took pace off. Might not be an easy chase for CSK, given three of their top four batters can be tied down by spin.
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Master DK
18 Sixes by Dinesh Karthik at the death (17 to 20) in IPL 2024
He drew level Tristan Stubbs for most sixes in the last phase this season. Only Stubbs has more runs than DK's 194 in the last four overs this season.
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RCB bossing the middle
10.34 RCB's run rate between overs 10 and 16, the most in IPL 2024
RCB have scored 77 in that phase tonight to end the middle phase on a high. Over 11 (Jadeja, 20), 12 (Theekshana, 10), 14 (Simarjeet, 19) and 16 (Thakur, 17) were the biggies in this phase.
Moreover, Patidar, with his six against Simarjeet, became the Indian with most sixes (28) in the middle overs (7 to 16) in IPL history.
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Out or not out?
Faf du Plessis has to walk back to a verrrry close call. Patidar belted one straight back at Santner, who got a finger to it before the ball hit the stumps at the bowler's end. Most replays made it seem that du Plessis is comfortable. But one of the angles made the umpire conclude that his bat was in the air, and he has to go.
Ashish Pant: "The CSK fielders were as shocked as Faf after that decision. Everyone was back into their positions."
Unfortunate way to lose their second, RCB. CSK aren't complaining!
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Patidar's spin love
212.08 Rajat Patidar's strike rate against spin in IPL 2024, the second-best behind Abhishek Sharma (min 100 runs scored)
Playing club games on under-prepared surfaces early in his career helped Rajat Patidar become almost a natural against spin, even if he enjoys playing fast bowlers more. In IPL 2024 before tonight, he has struck left-arm wristspin at 162.50, offspin at 188.88, legspin at 264.58 and left-arm orthodox at 156.25 (25 runs off 16 balls).
Patidar has had to just rotate the strike against the left-arm spin of Jadeja and Santner tonight so far. And Faf du Plessis did the rest, by hitting Jadeja for back-to-back sixes in his third over. RCB scored 30 in the two overs after Kohli's dismissal but Santner came back on to bowl a five-run over.
RCB 113 for 2 after 13
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Kohli gone!
Looks to take Santner on, whips it uppishly to wide long-on, where Daryl Mitchell does no mistake. Takes the catch, the momentum was taking him beyond the boundary, throws the ball up and comes back in to complete the catch. No fifty for Kohli tonight.
RCB before the rain break: 31 for 0 in three overs
RCB after the rain break: 47 for 1 in seven overs
RCB 78 for 1 in 10 overs
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CSK's power, RCB just play
42 Both of RCB's lowest powerplay scores this season have been against CSK: 42 for 3 in the opener in Chennai, 42 for 0 tonight in Bengaluru
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Spin says hello!
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Two overs of spin. This is straight after the 40-minute rain-break. Maheesh Theekshana managed to get some grip and turn. So did Mitchell Santner, with some extra bounce, too. Seven dot balls in those two overs.
10.05 RCB's run-rate against spin in the powerplay (before tonight) in IPL 2024. Only DC (10.67), KKR (11.04) and SRH (11.61) score faster than them.
Ashish Pant with his observations: "With the rain that seeped in and the moisture because of the surface being under covers, the CSK spinners are suddenly getting some bite. Du Plessis didn't read Theekshana at all, and Santner has started well, too. Looks like the rain might have not just dented RCB's momentum, but also helped the CSK spinners get some purchase out of the surface, which was looking a belter before the break."
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More good news
All covers are off now. Resumption at 8:25pm IST. No reduction in overs.
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Rain clears off
Spotted Kohli and other players walk down from the dressing room to the dugout in his batting gear. No umbrellas in sight. Rain has stopped, the outer covers have started to come off.
Here's Ashish Pant: "This is where the sub-surface aeration system comes into play. It absolutely pelted down, but there is no water on the outfield at all. The super-soppers are doing their work. And the ground-staff is on the edge almost ready to peel off the main cover as well."
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Sixy, Virat!
Intent, what again?
Virat Kohli has taken his batting to another level in IPL 2024. Never mind he has the Orange Cap firmly on his head and is inching towards 700 runs for the season. Those have come at a strike rate of over 150, his fastest in an IPL season. He did THIS in a Tushar Deshpande over, the third of the game:
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Kohli hit Deshpande for two sixes in an over to take his six-counter to 35, joint-second with Abhishek Sharma this season. What's more, he has already hit 20 sixes INSIDE THE POWERPLAY this season; his previous best was nine in 2015. Only Abhishek (24), Travis Head (22) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (21) have more than him in the first six overs this season.
RCB are 31 for 0 in three overs, but then it started pelting down, forcing everybody off.
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RCB vs CSK... in the stands
Ashish Pant from M Chinnaswamy: "Lost of mind-games happening within the crowd. As soon as there are chants of RCB, RCB...the CSK fans chime in with equal gusto. Kohli..Kohli is followed by Dhoni...Dhoni very quickly. Must be said there are a lot of yellow shirts, but still probably 55-45 in RCB's favour."
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Social watch for #RCBvsCSK
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Toss: CSK opt to bowl
Small ground, dew could be around, says Ruturaj Gaikwad, the CSK captain, as the reason behind the decision. Moeen Ali not available, and so Mitchell Santner comes in for CSK.
Winning the toss not big a deal, says Faf du Plessis, RCB captain, and adds they were comfortable with doing anything. Du Plessis said RCB are unchanged but Glenn Maxwell is in for Will Jacks.
RCB: F du Plessis (capt), V Kohli, GJ Maxwell, RM Patidar, C Green, KD Karthik (wk), MK Lomror, Yash Dayal, KV Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, LH Ferguson
Reserves: Swapnil, Rawat, Prabhudessai, Vyshak, Himanshu
Reserves: Swapnil, Rawat, Prabhudessai, Vyshak, Himanshu
CSK: RD Gaikwad (capt), R Ravindra, DJ Mitchell, AM Rahane, MJ Santner, RA Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), SN Thakur, TU Deshpande, M Theekshana, Simarjeet Singh
Reserves: Dube, Rizvi, Solanki, Rasheed, Choudhary
Reserves: Dube, Rizvi, Solanki, Rasheed, Choudhary
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CSK watch
CSK don't have Moeen Ali for their last league game against RCB. Mitchell Santner seems to be the likely candidate to replace him in the XII. It could also be a stern captaincy test for Ruturaj Gaikwad, who's captaining an IPL side for the first time.
Ashish Pant from ground zero: "Might not be the usual home game that RCB are used to. Can spot yellow and red jerseys in almost in equal numbers. Dhoni is the last of the CSK members to walk out on the field. But there is one interesting bit happening. Avanish Aravelly, part of India at the Under-19 Men's World Cup earlier this year, has been doing wicketkeeping drills for the last half hour or so."
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Dhoni-mania
Is this MS Dhoni's last IPL season? A lot of chatter around it. A few years ago, MS had expressed his desire to play his last match in Chennai. If CSK win by a big margin today, they could have a shot at finishing in the top two in the league stage, which would mean CSK play the Qualifier 1 in Chennai. If not they may have to take the Eliminator route via Ahmedabad.
A few days ago CSK batting coach Mike Hussey expressed his desire of wanting Dhoni to keep going. Earlier in the season, Stephen Fleming said they know what MSD brings to the table and are trying to max his impact out. Virat Kohli, too, spoke about Dhoni's finishing prowess among other things.
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RCB team tactics
RCB will not have Will Jacks, who has flown home. They could go in for a straight swap with Glenn Maxwell. Maxwell also has a good record against CSK's spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja (93 runs, 65 balls, 7 dismissals) and Maheesh Theekshana (69 runs, 36 balls, 3 wickets) in all men's T20s. He also has six wickets against CSK with the ball.
The other positive for RCB could be the form of Rajat Patidar. He has three fifties in his last four outings, and has been superb against spin in IPL 2024. I got him to speak more on his spin prowess.
It already seems magical that RCB have turned around their poor start to the season. They had lost seven games, including six in a row, out of their first eight games. Shashank Kishore, manning the ball-by-ball comms, writes about what RCB did right.
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Welcome to the game of #IPL 2024!
It is the big game. A knockout. Virat Kohli vs MS Dhoni, even though they are no longer the captains. #RCBvCSK. One of these sides will book a playoffs spot at the end of tonight. A washout would mean RCB bow out. They need a win and a slightly big one to go through. There is rain in the radar. Oooohh! Plenty to look forward to. Sruthi Ravindranath's preview should have you covered.
Here’s what our man at the ground in Bengaluru, Ashish Pant, is witnessing: "If it didn’t feel like a game on which the last playoff spot was riding, there’s absolute pandemonium outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where people have taken over both sides of the road. Lots of RCB shirts, but no shortage of CSK yellows either. RCB have just arrived and the decibel level has gone through the roof. The cops are having a hard time keeping things in control. But the bad news is that I can see a bit of drizzle coming down. Just a little bit at this point."
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