Faf du Plessis opens up after losing the first match against CSK. CSK won the IPL 2024 curtain-raiser by six wickets over RCB.
The defending champions, the Chennai Super Kings, and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru played the curtain-raiser for the seventeenth edition of the IPL 2024 at Chennai’s M.A. Chidambaram Stadium.
The Southern Derby has always produced some mouth-watering classics over the years, and this encounter was no exception. Basically, it had everything in it, with plenty of drama throughout. From the opening ceremony in the evening to CSK’s new captain Ruturaj Gaikwad stepping out for the toss, this match had it all.
CSK eventually won, defeating RCB by six wickets with eight balls to spare, which was quite comfortable. This victory preserved CSK’s unbeaten streak at the Chepauk intact. As they won their eighth game in a row, while RCB manage only one victory by 14 runs in the premier tournament’s debut season.
Du Plessis attributed RCB’s loss to their poor batting performance in the powerplay
Notably, after the skipper, in particular, got off to a flying start in the first four overs. Thanks to the seven fours he had already hit, his side was sitting pretty at 37/0 after four overs and would have been looking for anything between 50 and 55 in the first six to set the tone for the rest of the innings.
However, it was the lanky left-arm bowler from Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman, who completely turned the trend with his double-wicket over. Followed by Deepak Chahar dismissing Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck, to send RCB tumbling from 41 for no loss to 42/3 at the powerplay.
The South African claimed that he felt his team lost too many wickets in the first seven overs. Implying that the batsmen coming in needed to occupy the crease for enough time to reconstruct the innings once more. He also stated that he believed they were 15-20 runs short on a pitch that did not perform as poorly as his team did in the first half of the innings.
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Mustafizur Rahman registers his best IPL figures
Earlier in the game, The Fizz caused havoc in the RCB camp. Bowling two double-wicket overs that featured the coveted wickets of RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, and Cameron Green. Mustafizur was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance with the ball, culminating in figures of 4/29 in four overs, his current best in the tournament.
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