IPL 2025: RCB edge past CSK in nail-bitting thriller at Chinnaswamy stadium

BENGALURU: Fifties from Ayush Mhatre and Ravindra Jadeja went in vain as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) registered a 2-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in a last-ball thriller of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

With this victory, the RCB side moved to the top of the IPL 2025 points table after winning their eighth out of their 11 games in the 18th edition of the cash-rich league. On the other hand, the CSK side remained at the bottom of the table after losing their ninth match in the tournament.

In pursuit of a mammoth total of 214 runs, CSK openers Shaik Rasheed and Ayush Mhatre came out in the middle. Both players started slowly but paced up later on and put on a 51-run partnership off 27 balls before Rasheed (14 runs off 11 balls) was sent back to the pavilion on the bowling of Krunal Pandya.

Following Rasheed’s dismissal, left-hand batter Sam Curran came out, but he was sent back to the dressing room after scoring just five runs.

After Curran’s departure, Ravindra Jadeja came out to bat along with young Mhatre. Ayush Mhatre completed his maiden IPL fifty in the 8th over.
The Chennai-based franchise completed the 100-run mark on the fourth ball of the 10th over as Mhatre slammed a maximum on the bowling of Romario Shephered.

The MS Dhoni-led side completed the 150-run mark in the 14th over. Ayush Mhatre (94 runs from 48 balls) missed his well-deserved ton by six runs as he was sent back by Lungi Ngidi in the 17th over.

In the last over, the Chennai side needed 15 runs to win with Jadeja and MS Dhoni on the crease. On the first three balls, Yash Dayal gave just two runs and took Dhoni’s wicket.

Following Dhoni’s wicket, left-hand batter Shivam Dube came out. He slammed his first ball out of the park, which was a no-ball too.

After this no ball, the equation was six off three, where Dayal held his nerve and gave away just four runs on the last three balls of the 20th over.
Jadeja played an unbeaten innings of 77 runs from 45 balls, which was laced with eight boundaries and two maximums in his innings. These runs came at a staggering strike rate of 171.11.

For the Rajat Patidar-led side, three wickets were snapped by Lungi Ngidi (3/30 in 4 overs) and one wicket each were grabbed by Krunal Pandya (1/24 in 3 overs) and Yash Dayal (1/41 in 4 overs) in their respective spells

Earlier, after being put to bat by Chennai, Virat and Bethell inflicted carnage on CSK bowlers and relished the conditions in RCB’s home den. The duo combined for three maximums to take 19 runs off Khaleel Ahmed in the third over, showcasing their six-hitting appetite.

The duo went berserk from that point and clobbered Chennai for their wayward line and lengths. It was a boundary-hitting fest, with Virat and Bethell sending Chennai’s blueprint straight into the bin.

Bowlers changed, but the result stayed the same. Irrespective of what Chennai skipper MS Dhoni lined up against the duo, each bowler perished. While Virat dazzled with his classic strokeplay, Bethell flexed his raw power and muscled the ball effortlessly towards the boundary rope.

In the rest of the powerplay, RCB garnered 10-plus runs from each over and hammered 71-0 to assert dominance. The field restrictions were lifted, but the attitude remained the same.

Touted to be a future star, Bethell brought up his half-century with a sublime four. However, his exploits ended in the 10th over, when he skied the ball off Matheesha Pathirana, as Dewald Brevis pulled off an absolute stunner to punch Bethell’s return ticket to the dugout on 55(33).

The 97-run partnership between Kohli and Bethell emerged as the second-highest opening stand for the Royal Challengers against the Super Kings.

Virat continued his business with sixes and fours and brought up his fifty in style. He cut the ball through the backward point, raised his bat to celebrate his milestone, and his teammates stood on their feet to applaud Virat’s masterclass.

Chennai needed Virat back in the dressing room, and Sam Curran took the mantle on himself. He banged the ball short, and Virat tried to counterattack with an uppercut. The idea was there, but Virat floundered in his execution. The ball flew straight to Khaleel, who banged it into the turf as Virat returned with a flashy 62(33).

From that point, RCB’s high-flying inning showed signs of slowing down. Devdutt Padikkal came in, struck a couple of boundaries and returned with 17(15) as Pathirana picked his second of the night.

RCB’s woes increased after Jitesh Sharma (7) holed it to Brevis off CSK’s premier wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad on the penultimate delivery of the 17th over. Skipper Rajat Patidar, who was a mere spectator until that point, tried to swing his arms but skewed it straight to Curran.

With two overs left, Romario Shepherd muscled the ball away for back-to-back maximums with brute power. Fortune was indeed on his side as the third ball took the top edge and flew to the fence for a four.

The explosive Caribbean batter tormented Khaleel and Chennai by smacking the ball with two sixes on the trot. The no-ball on the fourth delivery made Khaleel run out of ideas, but he came back with a dot on the fifth one. Khaleel tried to get out of jail, but a four on the final ball saw RCB take away 33 runs from the penultimate over.

Pathirana tried to contain Shepherd in the final over, but the West Indies hard-hitter drilled the ball for a four and then shovelled it for a six to bring up the 50-run partnership in just 15 deliveries. He sent the final ball into the third tier to finish with an unbeaten 53 from 14 as RCB blazed to 213/5.

Brief Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 213/5 in 20 overs (Virat Kohli 62, Jacob Bethell 55; Matheesha Pathirana 3/36) vs Chennai Super Kings 211/5 in 20 overs (Ayush Mhatre 94, Ravindra Jadeja 77*; Lungi Ngidi 3/30). (ANI)