Mumbai: Royal Challengers Bangalore have been humiliated by Chennai Super Kings in the IPL. CSK beat RCB by 69 runs after RCB had been riding smoothly with four consecutive wins. It is safe to say that RCB lost not to CSK but to star all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. Because first in batting and then in bowling and fielding, Jaddu became the epitome of RCB’s defeat.
CSK gave RCB a huge target of 192 runs with the help of Juddu’s firing innings. RCB, who started well, later faltered with the advent of spinners. Imran Tahir, who played his first match of the season, provided excellent support with two wickets as Jaddu took the helm of spin bowling with three wickets. Jadeja dismissed three wickets for just 13 runs in four overs, including a maiden. He bowled the dangerous Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers. Washington Sunder was another victim. Dismissing Daniel Christian with a direct throw, he made his presence felt on the field as well.
RCB got off to a good start chasing their 192-run target. Openers Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal scored 44 for the first wicket. But after Kohli was dismissed by Sam Curran, RCB continued to lose wickets. They fell from 54 for one to 94 for eight and were plunged into a heavy defeat.
Score- Chennai 191 for four. Bangalore 122 for nine. Jadeja is the man of the match. With the win, CSK is at the top of the points table.
RCB’s top scorer was Devdutt with 34 runs. He hit four fours and two sixes in 15 balls in his innings. Glenn Maxwell (22), Kyle Jamieson (16) and Mohammad Siraj (12 *) were the other two batsmen to score more than 10 runs. Kohli (8), Washington Sunder (7), ABD (4), Daniel Christian (1), Harshal Patel (0) and Navdeep Saini (2) wall disppointed.
After winning the toss and opting to bat, CSK scored 191 for four. At the end of 19 overs, CSK’s scoreboard was just 154 for four. But Harshal Patel’s last over changed the game. CSK scored 37 runs, including five sixes and a four. It was Ravindra Jadeja’s innings that took the team to 191. He hit 62 not out off just 28 balls, including five sixes and four fours. In the last over of the innings, Jadeja scored 37 runs, with skipper MS Dhoni on the other side of the crease being the spectator.
Opener Faf Du Plessis (50) is another key scorer for CSK. Du Plessis found his form and hit the second fifty in two games in a row. He hit five fours and a six of 41 balls in his innings. CSK lost the wickets of Ruthuraj Gaikwad (33), Suresh Raina (24) and Ambati Rayudu (14). Dhoni remained unbeaten on two runs with Jadeja. Harshale Patel, who is also the owner of the Purple Cap so far, took three wickets for RCB.
Du Plessis and Gaikwad gave CSK a good start. The duo put on 74 for the first wicket. Yuzvendra Chahal provided the decisive breakthrough as the game slipped out of the hands of the RCB. Chahal got Gaikwad to gift a catch to Kyle Jamison after scoring 33 off 25 balls with four fours and a six.
Raina, who reached the crease next in the absence of Moeen Ali, was in excellent form. Du Plessis and Raina added 37 runs for the second wicket. This was followed by a drop in CSK’s run rate. In the fourth ball of the 14th over, Harshal got rid of Raina as Padikkal took the catch. CSK were stunned when Duplessis was caught by Christian of Harshal Patel’s bowling in the very next ball. This double blow disturbed CSK. With this, CSK’s scoring, which was leading by a good run rate, declined rapidly till Jadeja’s fiery innings in the last over took CSK past 190.
