RCB fans, relax. Yes, your lads actually did manage to defend a score and win by 2 full runs. The IPL match on Saturday evening dished out everything: drama, Dhoni, and just enough edge-of-the-seat action to drive an entire campaign.
CSK Fall Short of Target
Chasing 215 is no joke—least of all for giants CSK. Ayush Mhatre obliterated 94, and Ravindra Jadeja tried to channel his inner superhero with an unblemished 77, but the finish line was not had. Dhoni being Dhoni tried to pull a rabbit from his helmet but had to return just when it was getting exciting.
The Last Over Was Complete Bedlam
That’s where it becomes Bollywood-style dramatic. CSK needed 15 off the final over. First two balls: 2 runs only. Third ball: Dhoni gets out. Shivam Dube joins in. Yash Dayal delivers a no-ball (classic!) and gets swatted for six on the free hit. Now 6 runs needed from 3 balls. Twist: Dayal recalls he’s a bowler and concedes just 3 more. CSK loses by 2. Ouch.
RCB’s Bowlers Finally Came into Action
Lungi Ngidi led the bowling attack with 3 wickets, supported by Krunal Pandya and Yash Dayal, who contributed a single each. Ngidi, bottle up that act—somebody might have to use it again.
RCB’s Batting Display Was Fireworks
Batting first, RCB openers went beast mode. Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli both scored half centuries—62 by Kohli, 55 by Bethell. And then the run rate dropped like your phone’s battery at 3% until Romario Shepherd came like a cheat code and hit 33 off an over. He finished with 53 off 14 balls. Mic drop.
CSK’s Bowlers Did Try
Matheesha Pathirana was the lone one, taking 3 wickets. Sam Curran and Noor Ahmad got one each. But what can you do when a bloke scores 33 runs from a single over?
RCB Move Up to First Spot, CSK Rock Bottom
This was Bangalore’s 8th win out of 11 matches, putting them in a comfortable position at the top of the table with 16 points and well on their way to the play-offs. CSK? Ah, yes, they’re at the bottom with a meager 4 points and mathematically out of play-off contention. Time to start making plans for next season, folks.
