Virat Kohli played a pivotal role in RCB’s win against CSK.©AFP
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) continued their strong performance in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), securing their sixth consecutive win of the season and qualifying for the playoffs. Against five-time champions Chennai Super Kings in the final league match of the season, RCB put up a heroic performance to secure a playoff spot. Thanks to these developments, RCB recorded a remarkable first in T20 league history, becoming the only team to qualify for the play-offs after registering just one win in the first half of a league campaign (seven games).
The Bengaluru team had just one win in their first seven games of the campaign and suffered one defeat before they were officially eliminated from the race for the playoffs. But the entire team pulled up their socks and put on an incredible performance game after game, making history.
RCB’s current run of six consecutive wins is the second-best in the league, having previously finished runners-up in 2011 with seven wins on the trot.
Bengaluru needed to win the match by 18 runs or more after posting 218/5 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. With the ball, RCB restricted CSK to 191/7 and with 14 runs from either side, Bengaluru qualified for the playoffs with a net run rate.
“It was a great night. It was an incredible atmosphere and it was great to end the season with a win at home. I batted first and I think it was the hardest pitch I’ve ever played in a T20. And Virat said that after we came back in the rain, it was 140-150 and the umpires wanted to push the game because there was a lot of rain on the field, so when we came back, Mitch said that it was 140-150. Santner was like on the fifth day of the Test match in Ranchi and scoring 200 was unbelievable.
“In the last six games, the hitters have been hitting with good intent and a good strikeout rate. We were slow in the beginning and wanted more intent and that was awesome,” Du Plessis said after the game.
The Bengaluru team will now play the eliminator in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.
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