What happened the last time RCB beat CSK in Chennai?
The misery continues for Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB) at Chepauk against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), as the latter registered yet another win in IPL 2024.
As RCB skipper Faf du Plessis admitted himself, they were always behind in the eight-ball game after their collapse inside 10 overs.
Had it not been for the inspiring partnership of 95 runs for the sixth wicket between Dinesh Karthik and Anuj Rawat, the game would have become a completely one-sided affair when RCB were finding themselves in a complete mess at 78/5.
Chasing 174, CSK had some handy partnerships, but they too were in a spot of bother at 110/4 before Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube won it for them with eight balls to spare.
The loss for RCB, though, was not surprising at all considering their awful record at Chepauk (Chennai) against CSK. Chepauk has been a stronghold for CSK, with the "Yellow Army" claiming victory in eight out of nine encounters against their favorite opponents on their home turf (including the IPL 2024 encounter too).
With that being said, let's look at the instance when Royal Challengers Bangaluru's solitary win at Chepauk came against Chennai Super Kings.
What happened the last time RCB beat CSK in Chennai?
The only time Royal Challengers Bangaluru managed to get past Chennai Super Kings at their den was way back in 2008.
Let's relive that contest:
#3 RCB batters' struggle continued
Royal Challengers Bengaluru batters' struggle in the IPL 2008 was an open secret, with most of them being traditional batters playing conservative cricket.
Against a rampant CSK batting line-up, it was never going to work out. And the ultra-slowness of the surface didn't help their cause either, as barring Rahul Dravid (47 runs) and Praveen Kumar (21 runs in the lower order), no one was able to apply themselves.
As a result, RCB could only manage to score 126 runs, with Albie Morkel scalping four wickets.
#2 CSK openers gave a perfect start
Chasing a small but tricky total on a not-so-easy surface, CSK openers Matthew Hayden and Parthiv Patel batted the way the doctor ordered.
They played on the merits of the ball and didn't try to force any extravagant shots with the ball getting held up to the surface.
The duo added 60 runs in nine overs, and it looked like the match would finish inside the 17th or 18th over.
#1 Came the CSK collapse
They say cricket is a funny game, and the moment you get complacent, it strikes you badly.
That very thing happened with CSK. When it looked like CSK were in full control of the match, the RCB bowlers pulled things back.
From 60/1 in nine overs, CSK got reduced to 93/6 in 16 overs and later 110/8, needing 17 runs in 10 balls with two wickets in hand.
The wreckers-in-chief were Anil Kumble and Dale Steyn, who strangled the opposition with a change in pace, picking up five wickets between them.
In the end, CSK could only score 112/8, losing the match by 14 runs.