IPL 2025, CSK vs RCB, Hits & Flops: Rajat Patidar’s fifty, Tim David’s late cameo, and a strong bowling performance propel RCB to the top of the points table. CSK move to 7th place.
Brief scores: RCB 196/7 (R Patidar 51, P Salt 32, N Ahmad 3/36) beat CSK 146/8 (R Ravindra 41, MS Dhoni 30, J Hazlewood 3/21) by 50 runs.
It’s time to rewrite history, as a new chapter is etched in the records. Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured their second win at the iconic M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, with their first victory coming all the way back in 2008, during the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League. The RCB batters laid a strong foundation, posting an impressive total of 196 in the first innings. Later, the bowlers followed suit with a collective effort, restricting Chennai Super Kings to a modest 146, ensuring a commanding win by 50 runs.
Hits from CSK vs RCB game
Patidar’s solid knock and David’s late blast
Captain Rajat Patidar was the standout performer for RCB, making the most of his luck after surviving a life on 17. Coming in at No. 4, the 31-year-old smashed 51 off 32 balls, including 4 boundaries and 3 sixes, driving RCB forward with aggressive striking. Tim David provided an explosive cameo at the end, hitting a stunning hat-trick of sixes in the final over to push RCB closer to 200. Despite a brief middle-overs slump, David’s quickfire 22 runs off 8 balls, with 3 sixes and a boundary, ensured RCB set a competitive total.
Noor Ahmad’s golden run coupled with MSD’s magic
RCB came out of the blocks with a blazing start, with a dynamic knock from Phil Salt. In response, Ruturaj Gaikwad quickly turned to his strike bowler, Noor Ahmad, in the fifth over. The decision paid off as Noor bamboozled Salt with a perfectly timed googly, and MS Dhoni’s lightning-fast glovework did the rest with just 0.16 sec of reaction time, reminiscent of Suryakumar Yadav’s dismissal in the CSK-MI game. Noor’s brilliance didn’t stop there as he went on to claim the big wickets of Virat Kohli and Liam Livingstone, finishing with a stellar 3/36 in his four overs.
Read More: IPL 2025, KKR vs RCB, Talking Point: Patidar’s astute use of spinners drives KKR out of the game
RCB bowling attack on the money
The RCB bowlers silenced the Chepauk crowd, leaving CSK batters with no chance to fight back. Josh Hazlewood led the charge, taking two quick wickets in his first over, dismissing Rahul Tripathi and CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for a duck. Bhuvneshwar Kumar then struck in the fifth over, sending Deepak Hooda back. Liam Livingstone joined the attack, removing Sam Curran and R. Ashwin. The turning point came when Yash Dayal wreaked havoc in his third over, dismissing Rachin Ravindra and Shivam Dube, effectively sealing CSK’s fate and ending their hopes of a recovery.
Flops from CSK vs RCB game
CSK pace attack lack bite
The CSK pacers couldn’t find their rhythm, both at the start of the innings and during the death overs. It was only in the fifth over when spinner Noor Ahmad made a crucial breakthrough, sending Phil Salt back to the pavilion after he had flayed 32 quick runs in the first four overs. While Khaleel Ahmed and Sam Curran didn’t leak runs at a fast pace, they failed to apply early pressure by taking wickets on a pitch that clearly favoured the pacers, as evidenced by the impressive spells from RCB’s Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Their struggles continued in the death overs, with Sam Curran conceding 18 runs in the final over, allowing RCB to finish strong.
Read More: IPL 2025, CSK vs MI, Talking Point: Chennai spinners take 5-70, choke Mumbai batters in middle overs
Way forward
After a commanding victory, RCB will be eager to build on their momentum and strengthen their position in the points table as they face Gujarat Titans on April 2. Meanwhile, CSK will focus on improving their net run rate and bouncing back to winning ways when they take on Rajasthan Royals this Sunday, a team that have yet to find their rhythm with two losses in their opening matches.
IPL 2025 Points Table
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