Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) completed their fairytale comeback in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season, securing the playoff spot with a 27-run win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Bengaluru on Saturday.
RCB is in fourth place with seven wins and seven losses, with 14 points. CSK is in the fifth spot with seven wins and seven losses, but they have slid down to fifth due to a lower net-run rate.
In the run-chase of 219 runs, and an additional responsibility to score at least 201 runs to achieve playoff qualification, CSK was off to a poor start as skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for a golden duck by Glenn Maxwell. RCB got the wicket on the very first ball of the innings.
The duo of Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell, two New Zealand stars, attempted to rebuild the innings. However, a poor shot by Mitchell gave RCB his wicket for just four runs. Yash Dayal took the wicket, with Virat Kohli getting a catch at mid-off. CSK was 19/2 in 2.2 overs.
Ajinkya Rahane joined forces with Ravindra, keeping the run-rate going with some fine boundaries. CSK reached the 50-run mark in 5.3 overs. At the end of six overs, CSK was 58/2, with Ravindra (23*) and Rahane (22*) unbeaten.
The duo reached the 50-run mark in 30 balls. In the ninth over, pacer Lockie Ferguson, removed a well-settled Rahane for 33 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six. CSK is 85/3 in 9.1 overs. Skipper Faf took a catch, tumbling down while taking it.
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