Indian Premier League: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Chennai Super Kings in thriller, reach playoffs

Bengaluru: High-flying Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached the playoffs of the Indian Premier League in a dramatic style as they beat five-time champion Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday.

With this victory RCB reached the fourth spot with 14 points via better runrate.

Batting first RCB managed huge total of 218. CSK required 201 runs from 20 overs to qualify for the playoffs.

They needed 17 runs from the final over to qualify. MS Dhoni (25 runs from 13 balls) hit the first ball bowled by Yash Dayal for a six. But Dayal claimed Dhoni in the next balls with a slower. Then Ravindra Jadeja (42 runs from 22 balls) and Shardul Thakur managed only one run from last four balls.

CSK lost skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad in the first ball of the innings. Rachin Ravindra struck 61 runs from 37 balls while Ajinkya Rahane scored 33 from 22 balls.

   Earlier, captain Faf du Plessis (54), Virat Kohli (47), Rajat Patidar (41), and Cameron Green (38 not out) starred in a collective batting show as Royal Challengers Bengaluru posted a challenging 218/5.

On a pitch that looked like a batting beauty before it took a turn after a 40-minute rain break, Kohli and du Plessis set the platform for the big total through their 78-run opening stand.

It was followed by Patidar and Green having a 71-run association for the third wicket, with Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell firing in late cameos to get a massive total on board for RCB.

The tournament’s leading run-getter, Kohli began stunningly by placing a Shardul Thakur square drive for four, before skipper Faf du Plessis drove off the all-rounder for four more and thumped a six over the bowler’s head.

Kohli used his supple wrists to flick Tushar Deshpande for six, before pulling him for another maximum of the third over. During his unbeaten 19 off nine balls, Kohli also completed 3000 runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Just as Maheesh Theekshana was to bowl the fourth over, heavy showers lashed the venue and forced the players as well as on-field umpires off the field, with covers quickly covering the field of play.

After 40 minutes of interruption, with moisture caused by rain seeping into the pitch, Theekshana and Mitchell Santner found turn, grip, and bounce. It meant RCB didn’t get many runs and ended their Power-play at 42/0.

Despite Kohli striking some lovely boundaries off Santner and Ravindra Jadeja, Kohli fell three runs short of his fifty when he whipped uppishly to wide long-on off the former. DU Plessis continued the attacking job by hitting Jadeja for four and back-to-back sixes in his third over before reaching his fifty.

Du Plessis’ knock, though, ended when Santner got a finger off a straight drive from Patidar before the ball hit the stumps at the bowler's end, catching the batter short of his crease. After several replays, umpire Michael Gough confirmed du Plessis’ bat was in the air and adjudged him out for 54 off 39 balls.

Patidar and Green hit three boundaries collectively off Simarjeet Singh, before giving the same treatment to Shardul Thakur. Patidar then smashed Deshpande for a brace of sixes, before Green hit consecutive maximums off Thakur.

But Patidar fell for a 23-ball 41 after holing out to long-on off Thakur. Karthik and Maxwell hit quickfire boundaries in the last three overs of the innings as RCB slammed 80 runs in the last five overs to post their highest total.

Brief scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 218/5 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 54, Virat Kohli 47; Shardul Thakur 2-61, Mitchell Santner 1-23) beat Chennai Super Kings 191/7 in 20 overs (Rachin Ravindra 61, Rahane 33, Jadeja 42no, Dhoni 25, Yash Dayal 2/42). Agencies

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