During the match on March 28, 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 50 runs at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Since their inaugural IPL season in 2008 RCB achieved their initial victory over CSK at Chepauk which launched them to the top position of the points table through their two successive wins.
Match Summary :
The batting team RCB made their decision to start the match by batting first while scoring 196 runs. The batting performance during their innings featured aggressive play along with important contributions from their leading and central batting order players. The inadequate batting performance by CSK led them to lose 50 runs short of victory as they scored 146 runs before being bowled out.
RCB's Innings :
- The batting performance of RCB showed both offensive gameplay together with tactical team combinations throughout the innings.
- Phil Salt started RCB's innings with another strong performance by hitting 32 runs off his 16 balls at the opening position. The quick stumping done by MS Dhoni using Noor Ahmad's delivery stopped Padikkal from batting further.
- Padikkal played a brief 27-run inning off 14 balls which focused on attacking Jadeja before Ashwin dismissed him.
- Captain Rajat Patidar steered RCB through the innings by hitting 51 runs off 32 balls. Padikkal anchored the middle section of the innings after CSK fielders missed two opportunities to dismiss him.
- Tim David demonstrated his skill at finishing the match during the last over when he hit three sixes against Sam Curran to give RCB a strong score.
CSK's Bowling Highlights :
- Left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad delivered an outstanding performance that secured three wickets by removing Salt, Virat Kohli and Liam Livingstone.
- In the final over of the match Matheesha Pathirana let through only one run while taking out two batters including Krunal Pandya and Patidar.
CSK's Innings :
- During their pursuit of 197 runs CSK suffered early losses and encountered trouble expanding their score:
- Josh Hazlewood along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar brought down the top batting order of CSK. In the second over of the game Hazlewood eliminated captain Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rahul Tripathi to leave CSK at 30/3 during the powerplay phase.
- The middle part of the CSK batting order received resistance from Rachin Ravindra but received insufficient backing from other players. Sam Curran faced Livingstone's delivery which resulted in his wicket during his short batting stint.
- During the same over Yash Dayal knocked out both Ravindra and Shivam Dube to end RCB's victory.
- As RCB lost the match regardless MS Dhoni delighted the members of the Chepauk crowd with his two sixes and one four against Krunal Pandya in the last over. His efforts during the match failed to close the wide difference in score.
RCB's Bowling Highlights :
- Hazlewood concluded his four-over spell with outstanding numbers of 3/21 which proved instrumental for RCB's victory.
- Liam Livingstone delivered two important batting performances as well as crucial bowling strikes by dismissing Sam Curran and Ravichandran Ashwin.
Historical Context :
RCB achieved the biggest run margin defeat in CSK's home history at Chepauk stadium. RCB's victory serves to raise their team morale during early-season play while testing the widely believed strength of CSK at their home stadium.
Looking Ahead :
This match provides CSK with essential understanding about the value of precise pitch assessment and team flexibility. The team needs to resolve these problems because they face them during upcoming matches. The team of RCB plans to capitalize on their current winning momentum when executing their strategies for upcoming matches.
Post-Match Reflections :
Stephen Fleming who serves as coach for CSK expressed his annoyance about the team failing to understand Chepauk pitch conditions after multiple years of this pattern eliminating home-field advantage. The coach emphasized how CSK's slow bowling department struggled and how dew failed to appear during the second batting period to complicate batting.
Conclusion :
The thorough triumph of RCB against CSK at Chepauk put an end to their historical non-winning streak at the grounds while demonstrating their impressive performance throughout IPL 2025. Both batting and bowling units of RCB showcased balanced performances in their victory against CSK who needed to reevaluate their tactics moving forward in the tournament.
Brief Scores :
RCB Innings : 196/7 (20 Overs) Phil Salt 32 off 16 Balls (5 Fours and 1 Sixes), Rajat Patidar 51 off 32 Balls (4 Fours and 3 Sixes)
CSK Bowling : Noor Ahmad 3/36 (4 Overs) , Matheesha Pathirana 2/36 (4 Overs).
CSK Innings : 146/8 (20 Overs). Rachin Ravindra 41 off 31 Balls (5 Fours), MS Dhoni 30 off 16 Balls (3 Fours and 2 Sixes).
RCB Bowling: Josh Hazlewood 3/21 (4 Overs) , Yash Dayal 2/18 (3 Overs).
Result : RCB Won by 50 Runs.