RCB vs CSK Highlights, IPL 2024: Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualify for playoffs

That's it Yash Dayal after conceding six off the first ball made an excellent comeback in the over. He first picked up MS Dhoni and then bowled an excellent remainder of the over to close out the match. It is not very often all four teams get qualified with a day left in the season but it is the case this time. Congratulations to RCB what a comeback they are having this season.

Well, Lockie bowled a decent over until the final ball which Jadeja smacked for six. This is an excellent inning from the left-hander. Like the final in 2023 he has been extremely calm when the pressure has been on as we update Dhoni smacks a six.

????. ???. ???. ?#TATAIPL #RCBvCSK #IPLonJioCinema pic.twitter.com/GWuERdGUCL

— JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 18, 2024

Once again an over from Siraj which has been expensive enough to keep CSK in the game but does not ensure a win. This is going deeper and deeper and tensions are visible on the faces of both sets of fans and dugouts here.

It was an expensive over from Yash Dayal but not expensive enough for CSK. They need 50 from the last three to qualify. They need a big 25-run over somewhere here. Mohammed Siraj has come into bowl and he needs to nail in his yorkers.

We have reached the second strategic time out and at this point it feels like it is going to be RCB who will get through. However, having said Jadeja and MS Dhoni are in the middle who have played a key part many times before for this franchise to get over the line in these pressure situations. 

Faf du Plessis has taken the catch of the tournament. Santner tried to clear the mid-off but Faf standing there dives and takes a single-handed blinder. What a catch from the veteran. CSK is now in deep trouble. MS Dhoni walks into the middle.

Another over for CSK where a wicket has fallen and it is Dube who never looked comfortable on the night eventually tried to hit a short one into the long-on region however, again mistimed it and was caught by the fielder there. Santner has walked into the middle for CSK.

Rachin played well to square-leg and called Dube for two, however, the fielder took the ball quickly and throws to the keeper Dube responding to the call came back and Rachin despite knowing he wouldn't make it sacrificed his wicket.

That's an expensive over from Lockie Ferguson he bowled a waist-high no-ball which Rachin hit for a boundary and followed it up with a couple more sixes. While Rachin is opening up here Shivam Dube is struggling to get the ball away.

Glenn Maxwell comes into bowl his third over and he delivers a good one giving just four in it. The ball is still gripping and turning for spinners something we did not see in the first innings. Dube's season has tapered off after getting India call up but he needs to fire tonight.

Lockie Ferguson has been brought into attack and he gets the breakthrough. He bowls a slower one outside the off-stump which Kohli at cover on boundary catches. The RCB's talisman is pumped up today as he susses the crowd once he picks the catch.

Swapnil Singh did a decent job in his first couple of overs. He varied his pace and line nicely to Rachin not getting under his bat. However, RCB needs to pick wickets to pull this game back CSK still has plenty of batting left to come. 

A 50-run partnership between Rachin and Rahane comes up. This has been good sensible batting from the duo so far. RCB has brought in Karn Sharma who took a bit of pasting in that last over. The match-up is a good one for Rachin to get some boundaries away.

Swapnil Singh has been brought into attack with more spin from RCB. It will be interesting to see how RCB operates from here as both Rahane and Ravindra look like they have got their eye in. The ball is still gripping a bit will it keep assisting the spinners once it gets older is to be seen

A good end to the Powerplay as Rahane could get three boundaries in the over. A remainder yet again CSK needs 201 runs to qualify for the playoffs and it requires 10 per over and they are maintaininging that rate at this point. It is time RCB picks a couple of wickets and gets back into the game.

Glenn Maxwell is getting a bit of a turn from the surface. He found the right area to bowl. Looks like it is a new ball wicket as it was gripping for CSK spinners as well early in the piece. Yash Dayal has changed ends for RCB.

A productive over for Chennai Super Kings as they extracted a couple of boundaries in that one. Rahane has got himself to a start here and he alongside Rachin needs to build a foundation here. As we update Maxwell came to bowl his second over.

Daryl Mitchell tried to hit over long off and could not get good timing on it Kohli running backward took a good catch. Dayal strikes yet again for RCB this season. Ajinkya Rahane has walked into the middle and he needs to deliver today.

Siraj came to bowl the second over and there was not much of a swing on offer. The conditions still look excellent for batting. It will be interesting to see what Yash Dayal can get out of this wicket as he has been the stand-out bowler for RCB this season.

The run chase started in the worst possible way for CSK as Ruturaj Gaikwad got himself off hit-me ball timing it straight to fine-leg fielder inside the ring. Everything has gone to script for RCB tonight so far apart from the toss. 

Vinayakk: 201 is the first target for CSK to qualify for playoffs, but don’t forget, they would ideally like to win this too and get to 16 points. SRH vs PBKS has rain threat, and it could keep SRH below CSK if it gets washed out. And RR are on a losing streak while taking on KKR in the last match, could finish on 16 and below CSK’s NRR too. So yeah, there is a lot riding on this run-chase.

Glenn Maxwell came in and he did his part as well in that final over. The CSK bowlers would not be proud of those efforts however, the conditions now look excellent for batting but runs on the board and home support will give an advantage to RCB. But CSK will come all guns blazing stay with us for cracking chase coming up.

The last over from Dinesh Karthi typified his career as a finisher for RCB he slammed a six on the leg-side and played a cheeky scoop shot as well. However, Deshpande had the last laugh by the time the damage was done Maxwell has come in and started with a boundary.

Shardul Thakur comes back into the attack and Patidar hits one however, cannot get all of it and gets caught at long-off by Daryl Mitchell an identical dismissal to Virat Kohli. Dinesh Karthik has walked into the middle a cameo from him tight pull this game away from CSK.

This partnership is turning ominous for CSK. Both Patidar and Green are blasting the bowlers all around the park. This is a formidable total for RCB and it will take something special from CSK to chase these runs given the pressure of the game.

Vinayakk: Ian Smith's famous lines on that famous day at Lord's remain iconic. "By the barest of margins" he screamed into the microphone as a crazy finish to the World Cup final unfolded and Kiwi hearts were broken. On Saturday in Bengaluru, a New Zealander was on the good side of 'the barest of margins' in cricket. Mitchell Santner bowled a full ball just outside of offstump, Rajat Patidar smashed one down the ground. Santner, a gun fielder apart from being a really good bowler, quickly got down and deflected the ball onto the stumps (after multiple replays you can't help but imagine it was deliberate too). The ball hit the stumps but initially it seemed Faf du Plessis had made it back on time at the non-striker's. But after multiple replays, and zoom-ins, the TV umpire decided the bat was in the air. Faf was stunned, the RCB dressing room had their arms up in the air, some of the fans couldn't believe it. A huge call, one that divided opinion but the umpire took his time to make it.

Chennai deploying their two left-arm spinners to good effect. No time like now for #ViratKohli to bring into play his newfound love for slog-sweep. As he did to counter one Noor Ahmad not that long ago. #RCBvsCSK https://t.co/W4pzmWXrX3 pic.twitter.com/hInDnySh0g

— Rahul Pandey (@sportstoryguy) May 18, 2024

Pace has been introduced here after a lot of overs from spinners. Simarjeet has been brought into the attack. He started to bowl wide outside the off-stump looks like CSK will now use their death bowling tactic from here on. Cameron Green has walked in for RCB.

Well, that might be a bit of a controversial decision from the third umpire the ball flicked bowler Santner's hand as Patidar drove one back it hit the stumps however, it was unclear whether the Faf kept his bat back on time in the crease at the non-strike end. The third umpire thought it was in the air and gave it out.

The last couple of overs have been extremely good for RCB. The ball has now stopped gripping and skidding nicely onto the bat and Faf and Patidar are muscling the ball into the stands. If RCB can get up to 220 they will have a proper chance of making a game out of this one.

Nihal Koshie: 31 for no loss in the first three overs and then a crawl post the rain break — 11 in three overs. The ball wasn't wet so the spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Mitchell Santner didn't have problems gripping the ball. But the pitch, under covers for more than half an hour, was helping the ball to grip and turn. And there was a hint of it suddenly becoming two-paced. A data graphic during telecast said the average turn was 3.4 degrees as compared to 1.9 during the tournament. Both Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis, after going hammer and tongs against the pacers before the break, looked like fish out of water. Swishing without connecting. They were in poor positions because they were unsure how much the ball would turn. They also tried to hit too hard in an attempt to break the shackles. Slow choke is an old CSK strategy that has worked for them on their home ground and their spinners knew exactly what to do. 11 dots between the start of the fourth over and end of the sixth with just one boundary.

Once again it is the strategic time-out that does the damage. Kohli tried to loft the ball on the leg-side and got the leading edge straight to Daryl Mitchell who took a wonderful catch on the boundary. Rajat Patidar has walked into the middle.

Kohli looks pumped up here. He is celebrating every boundary he is scoring, which is a testament to the difficulty in conditions right now. He has been trying to score those boundaries. RCB also does not have any left-handers in the top four who can counter CSK's two left-arm spinners.

The over against Santner Kohli showed a bit more aggression and he needs more balls going into the outfield as the ball would get wet and become difficult to grip. One more thing that has been happening is CSK is rushing through their overs because of plenty of overs by bowled by spin. 

Ravindra Jadeja has been brought into the attack and bowled quicker through the air despite the turn-on offer. RCB batters need to find a way to break this and not let CSK spinners bowl their lines and lengths. They need to win by 18 runs to qualify for the next round.

The way out for RCB batsmen is to take on the bowlers and hit the ball onto the outfield so that it does get wet and makes it difficult for the bowlers to grip it. As of now, it has been a touch too easy for the CSK spinners at this point.

The ball is gripping and turning here. It will be a challenge for Kohli and Faf to deal with it. CSK has three spinners up their ranks which they can call upon. It will be interesting to see if it will play the same for 20 overs or if the moisture will dry out.

Theekshana resumes after the break and the ball seems to be gripping and turning after that break we had. This will be an interesting couple of overs from RCB in the remainder of the Powerplay will they go for it or see out these overs?

Alright. It has stopped completely. The covers are coming off.

There are almost 20 souls which includes groundstaff, KSCA officials, match officials are inside the ground with covers still firmly in place. There is only slight drizzle which is not even bothering any of them to make use of the umbrella. Remember, they can't start the match unless the drizzle completely stops. It is frustrating for everyone now.  Just to put things in context, there is not even a drop of drizzle in the club house area which is right behind the dressing room.

Vinayakk: With a ball that was around his hip area, Virat Kohli flicked his wrists and sent the ball soaring into the M Chinnaswamy sky. The ball hit onto the roof of the stadium and fell near the ball kid near the boundary line. He picked up the length so early as Tushar Deshpande erred. A dot ball later, he danced down the track a little bit and targetted the same region off a short of length ball. Another flick of the wrists. With those two sixes, Kohli's tally for the 2024 season went up to... wait for it... 35! In IPL 2023, he had hit 16 sixes, for a comparison. Kohli has often spoken about how he is a four-hitter predominantly, and sixes are byproducts of good timing mostly. But this season, he has taken it to the next level. So much has been said about Nicholas Pooran, Abshishek Sharma, Travis Head and Sunil Narine hitting sixes. But with these two hits, Kohli put himself behind only Pooran (36).

Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli became the first player to complete 3000 IPL runs at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the IPL 2024 match against Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Kohli achieved the feat when he reached 13 runs with a six opening the innings for RCB in a must-win game, also becoming the first IPL batter to reach 3000 runs at a venue across 17 editions. Rohit Sharm is the only other batter to amass over 2000 runs at a single IPL venue (2295 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai). (Read more)

The intensity has dropped. But it is still drizzling and the super soppers is already out!

As it stands we won't be losing overs straight away. There is a 60-minute window. So play was stopped at 7.44 pm we will start losing overs from 8.44 pm onwards.

The covers are on in no time. We could be in a for a long break reports Venkata Krishna B

Shardul Thakur has taken the second over and he did bowl a couple of good deliveries however, Faf got the better of him off the last couple of balls in that over. It is drizzling a bit and now every time the ball goes onto out-filed it will make it harder for bowlers to grip it.

It has started drizzling, and the ground staff has taken their positions. Faf du Plessis doesn't seem pleased that they are still going ahead. He is having a word with the umpires. reports Venkata Krishna B from the ground. 

Tushar Deshpande took the new ball and is an excellent start from the seamer. He hit the right lines and lengths in that first over which did not let Kohli and Du Plessis let their arms free. The pitch seems to be a bit sticky in that first over. 

The stage is all set in one of the iconic grounds in Indian cricket. The rain has played spoil sport at least so far and both teams would be hoping it would be the case for the entire game. Right now both teams are walking in the middle and it is going to be a cracking contest. 

Despite all the forcasts, we are having a on time start to the game. It is still a bit windy, but the groundstaff look relaxed. There is no more reassuring sight than that

As a sportsman these are the kind of games you live and die for literally. The tournament is on the line for us, weather permitting, we have to put up a good show. I think this has been one of those journeys people will remember for decades. After losing seven out of their first eight games (RCB) are in this position, there's still a lot of work to do though. We play against a solid team, but what a journey this has been. Three weeks can turn around your fortunes. We are trying to hunt down a side that has done really well in the tournament. We had nothing to lose a few games ago but now we know the value of pushing and recreating it again and again. There are a formidable and balanced side. The way they play their cricket, one of the most successful sides in this league. They come good in big games, it's a great challenge for us. The way we (RCB) have played in the last five games is pretty symbolic of what RCB is capable of. Playing some good cricket, big names, playing some high octane cricket, great to be a part of it. I will remember this journey for a long time. Every year there's going to be a team at the halfway stage almost where we were. I am wishing that we take one step forward. I think it's RCB's turn to do something special.

It's going to be incredible, hopefully, the rain stays away and we can put up a show for our fans. The atmosphere has been electric here at the Chinnaswamy. Just keep your feet on the ground and take it as it comes. Amazing to be part of CSK, amazing players and the management, the support staff, they've kind, I haven't had the greatest run, have seen the ups and downs. To share the dressing room with the likes of Dhoni, Jaddu and the incredible overseas players, it's been a learning experience. It's important to find your own experience because every journey is different, the things you learn are very useful. Siraj is a threat with the new ball, they've been on a run of 5 straight wins, RCB are a very good team, but hopefully we can continue our work and stop them.

Vinayakk: For all the tosses he has lost this season, Ruturaj Gaikwad managed to get it right on the big day, only for the third time. With rain around, with M Chinnaswamy being a chasing ground, bowling first is bound to be a solid advantage in this blockbuster clash. Stephen Fleming had joked a few matches back about how the team even considered sending someone alongside Ruturaj to change his luck. Interestingly though, that day when he won the toss against Gujarat Titans and opted to bowl first, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan made CSK chase leather in a 210-run opening run partnership. Faf du Plessis hit the right notes too, even though he'd have liked to bowl first. There was not even a hint of regret in his voice when he said his side are in such good form that they were looking forward to either batting or bowling anyway.

Swapnil Singh, Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Himanshu Sharma

Shivam Dube, Sameer Rizvi , Prashant Solanki, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary

Faf du Plessis(c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj

Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad(c), Daryl Mitchell, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni(w), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana

We would have fielded as well, but we put up a good score when we batted first last. Losing the toss isn't ideal, but we'll take a lot of confidence from the last 5 games. The set-up is great, last match before the knock-out stage, the scenario is nicely set-up and we're happy to play our last league game in front of our fans. Not thinking a lot, we'll take it as it comes and do our best.