Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) suffered a comprehensive six-wicket defeat at the hands of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2024 opener at Chepauk on Friday (March 22).
Opting bat first, RCB lost half their side for just 78 runs despite a 41-run opening stand between skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli.
However, a resilient effort from Anuj Rawat, who scored 48 off 25 balls, and Dinesh Karthik, who remained unbeaten on 38 off 26 balls, propelled the visitors to a competitive total of 173/6 in 20 overs.
In reply, CSK overhauled the target with eight deliveries to spare. While Rachin Ravindra laid a solid foundation with a blistering 37 off just 15 balls, Shivam Dube (34* off 28) and Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 17) stayed unbeaten to take the side home.
After the game, batting legend Sunil Gavaskar explained what RCB could have done differently against CSK in the opening IPL match.
"Yes, try the short ball by all means, but when it wasn't working... it looked like that's all they were looking to do. You had somebody like a Dagar, who had bowled 2 overs for 6 six runs. I know the way the left-hand spinner can be picked for 6, but you got to take a chance. All that they did, Joseph, Green, Siraj, everybody go in short. What was happening was that if you don't get the bouncer right, you are going to give it a wide, which means you're giving an extra run, you are going to bowl an extra delivery. So, your bouncer has to be very accurate, and it wasn't. That one-dimensional tactic was really disappointing," Gavaskar said on Star Sports.
Former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen said that RCB should have bowled first after winning the toss.
"I would have chased if I was Faf du Plessis. That wicket was an absolute belter. It's not the normal wicket that you see. Statistics can tell you one thing, and I've never been one for statistics. You got to judge situations as you see situations. This was not a wicket for spinners, the seam bowlers had a go here. I think RCB should have chased," Pietersen stated.
Australia’s star batter Steve Smith shared his two cents after CSK maintained their strong record at Chepauk.
"Bangalore don't match up at that ground. CSK played to their strengths. They squeezed throughout the middle. Mustafizur was really good, taking wickets. It was a pretty unusual scorecard, the chase. 37 was the highest score, everyone got a start and spent a bit of time in the middle. I think it's probably an ideal start for Chennai," Smith said.
