RCB Overcomes CSK To Secure Final Spot In IPL 2024 Playoffs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secured a spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 27 runs in Match 68 on Sunday, May 19. Playing at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB restricted CSK to 191/7 in 20 overs, falling short of the 219-run target.

CSK faced early setbacks, losing Ruturaj Gaikwad (0) and Daryl Mitchell (4) within the first three overs. However, Rachin Ravindra (61 off 37) and Ajinkya Rahane (33 off 22) revived the innings with a 66-run partnership off 41 balls. Despite their efforts, CSK's innings collapsed from 85/2 in nine overs to 129/6 in 15 overs.

Ravindra Jadeja (42* off 22) and MS Dhoni (25 off 13) added a quickfire 61 runs off 27 balls, but CSK fell short by 10 runs to qualify for the playoffs. Yash Dayal bowled two consecutive dot balls to Jadeja when CSK needed 10 runs off the last two balls.

Earlier, RCB posted a formidable total of 218/5 in their allotted 20 overs after being asked to bat first. Virat Kohli (47 off 29) and Faf du Plessis (54 off 39) provided a strong start. Contributions from Rajat Patidar (41 off 23) and Cameron Green (38* off 17) bolstered the score. Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell added quick cameos of 14 and 16 runs respectively. Shardul Thakur was the pick of the bowlers for CSK, taking two wickets for 61 runs.

• Man Of The Match: Faf du Plessis
• Punch.EV Electric Striker Of The Match: Cameron Green
• Fantasy Player of the Match: Faf du Plessis
• Super 6s of the match: Virat Kohli
• RuPay On-The-Go 4s: Rachin Ravindra

Ruturaj Gaikwad (CSK Captain): "It was a good wicket. For spinners, it was turning and gripping a little bit. Pretty happy with what the target was. To sum up the season, pretty happy with seven games out of 14. Injuries, not having Conway as well - made a lot of difference. Challenges right from the first game. Pathirana got injured, we missed Fizz as well. When you have injuries, it is difficult to balance the squad... Couldn't get over the line, but these things can happen. For me, personal milestones don't matter a lot. After all, the ultimate prize is to win. We couldn't get it, so personally I'm slightly disappointed as well."

RCB vs CSK IPL 2024 Match 68: Key Stats

• 218/5 is the highest total by RCB against CSK
• Glenn Maxwell became first spinner after Kevin Pietersen to pick a wicket on the first ball of the innings for RCB
• 2/61 by Shardul Thakur is the second-most expensive over by a CSK bowler in IPL
• RCB became the first team to hit 150 sixes in a single edition of a T20 competition
• RCB qualified for IPL playoffs for ninth time
• CSK failed to qualify for IPL playoffs for third time in 15 editions