‌RCB vs CSK | Twitter goes berserk as all-round RCB denies Dhoni’s fairytale farewell to steal playoffs spot

Brief Scores: RCB: 218/5 [Faf: 54, Kohli: 47; Shardul Thakur 4-0–61-2] beat CSK: 191/6 [Ravindra: 61, Jadeja: 42*; Dayal: 4-0-42-2]  by 27 runs

Winning a rare toss in a must-win clash, Ruturaj Gaikwad, the Chennai Super Kings captain decided to field first. Following an observant first over, openers Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli started assaulting Shardul Thakur and Tushar Deshpande before rain halted play for forty minutes with RCB’s score 31/0 in three overs. As the game resumed, the spinners started to turn the ball squarer with extra bounce, troubling both batters for a brief period. RCB’s run rate came down to seven runs per over after the seventh over before Ravindra Jadeja spilled 40 runs in his three overs to push RCB to 98/1 in eleven overs. Soon, Faf ended up with an unfortunate dismissal after a half-century before Cameron Green and Rajat Patidar orchestrated a 71-run stand, teeing off the CSK bowlers. Although the visitors ended up with a couple of wickets at the cue end, cameos from Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell propelled RCB to 218/5 in 20 overs. 

In response, CSK got a shaky start after Glenn Maxwell removed Ruturaj Gaikwad on the first ball of the innings, followed by Daryl Mitchell throwing away his wicket in the third over. As the situations looked tricky for the visitors, Rachin Ravindra and Ajinkya Rahane soaked up pressure and steered CSK to a 58-run powerplay. The partnership extended to 76 runs before Lockie Ferguson outsmarted Rahane with a slower one followed by Ravindra departing in the 13th over with the score reading 115/4. Shivam Dube and Mitchell Santner followed suit in back-to-back overs leaving CSK in trouble. With Dhoni entering the fray and Jadeja ticking around to the 17th over, the Yellow Army required 68 runs for a win while 51 runs for playoffs qualification. Two sixes and as many fours in the next couple of overs from Dhoni and Jadeja curtailed the qualification equation to 17 required off the final over. While a first-ball six off Dhoni put the pressure back on Yash Dayal but he held his nerve and removed Dhoni to follow up with just a run in the remaining four deliveries. Eventually, RCB ended up gushing past the finishing line and making it to the playoffs out of nowhere by winning the game by 27 runs.

It ends

Cricket Ends Here For Me!

~Thankyou For Everything Thala.💫💛



+Your Fan Forever. pic.twitter.com/aex2E8F4rj

— Hustler (@HustlerCSK) May 18, 2024

Knocked out

RCB Knocked out CSK from 2024 IPL 💥🤫#RCBvsCSK pic.twitter.com/ncugJbg1EP

— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) May 18, 2024

What a shame!

Akash Chopra when CSK is out of the IPL. #RCBvsCSK pic.twitter.com/XHfnQJzb42

— Prayag (@theprayagtiwari) May 18, 2024

Forever

CSK FOREVER AND EVER 💛🦁#WhistlePodu #IPL2024 #CSK pic.twitter.com/sqlOvps28w

— CSK Fans Army™ (@CSKFansArmy) May 18, 2024

Gone

CSK 😭#RCBvsCSK pic.twitter.com/Q2zSxKhnHc

— Desi Bhayo (@desi_bhayo88) May 18, 2024

Bye bye

Bye Bye CSK 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/V1IY6otbWi

— Kohlified. (@123perthclassic) May 18, 2024

6 off 6

-6/6 Wins in a row



-Into the playoffs by knocking out CSK



-From 10th Position To 4th Position



This Is RCB’s Heritage 😎 pic.twitter.com/1nGklDq0k1

— Sankalp Ayan™ (@iBeingSankalp) May 18, 2024

LOL

Seems like Faf had told Kohli about how some csk fans can behave https://t.co/Wr3IuwzyU0 pic.twitter.com/B10yhk4d1E

— Pushkar (@musafir_hu_yar) May 18, 2024

OUT!

CSK OUT OF PLAYOFFS!!!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/ziDvOmwnUL

— Shivani Shukla (@iShivani_Shukla) May 18, 2024