In the much-anticipated eighth match of the IPL 2025, arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore took on each other in Chennai. RCB dismantled CSK at its fortress, Chepauk, and won the match by 50 runs.
Toss: CSK won the toss and elected to bowl first.
First Innings:
Once again, RCB opener Phil Salt (32 off 16 balls) gave a phenomenal start to his team and made a partnership of 45 runs with Virat Kohli for the first wicket. All top-order batters, including Kohli (31), Rajat Patidar (51) and Devdutt Padikkal (27), contributed well and kept the scoreboard ticking. Though CSK bowlers took wickets at regular intervals, they couldn’t stop RCB from scoring big. In the end, Tim David gave a stunning cameo (22* off 8 balls) which helped RCB in scoring 196/7 in 20 overs on this slow Chepauk pitch. Noor Ahmed (3/36), who took four wickets in the first game, had scalped three wickets in this match.
Second Innings:
What looked like a batting pitch in the first innings seemed like a bowling track in the second innings. Josh Hazlewood took Rahul Tripathi and captain Ruturaj Gaikwad’s wickets right in the second over and broke the morale of the hosts right at the beginning of the chase. Later, RCB bowlers took wickets at regular intervals and never allowed CSK batters to score big. CSK was in such a poor position that Dhoni had to come in the 16th over despite arriving as the 9th batter. Josh Hazlewood (3/21) shone by taking three wickets, while Yash Dayal (2/18) and Liam Livingstone (2/28) took two wickets each. Dhoni hit a few boundaries in the end, giving some entertainment to already disappointed CSK fans. In the end, CSK managed to score only 146/8 in this huge chase and lost the game by 50 runs.
In a nutshell:
Before this game, RCB won against CSK at Chapuak only once in nine occasions. However, in this game, they completely dominated CSK with their all-round performance. While RCB batters scored extremely well on this slow surface in the first innings, bowlers completely dismantled the opposition players in the second innings. CSK looked completely clueless throughout the game. The men in yellow rarely lose at their home ground, and tonight was one cush instance. On the other side, RCB are at the top of the table with two straight wins in two games and that too in away matches. It will boost the morale of the team big time.
Scorecard: RCB 196/7 (20 overs) and CSK 146/8 (20 overs)
Next up: RCB will next face Gujarat Titans on April 2. CSK will take on the Rajasthan Royals on March 30.