<p>Chennai: Mustafizur Rahman set it up with his bagful of cerebral variations before Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube got the job done with their superlative finishing skills to script a comfortable six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/ipl-2024">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 </a>opener here on Friday.</p><p>CSK, who have not lost to RCB at home since 2008, thus kept their enviable record intact.</p><p>Mustafizur, with his best ever IPL figures of 4/29 in four overs, was largely responsible for restricting RCB to 173 for six on a good batting track, where a 95-run sixth wicket stand off 50 balls between Anuj Rawat (48 off 25 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not out off 26 balls) was the visitors' only saving grace.</p>.IPL 2024: RCB set 174 target for CSK.<p>Jadeja (25 not out off 17 balls) brought his oodles of experience just when things could have got tricky in the run chase, hurrying a rusty Dube (34 off 28 balls) into completing some quick doubles to complete the chase in 18.4 overs.</p><p>Dube also grew in confidence in Jadeja's company towards the end as he finished the chase in a jiffy.</p><p>Credit should also be given to Rachin Ravindra (37 off 15 balls), who teed off in brilliant fashion with three sixes and as many boundaries to set the tone.</p>.RCB decide to bat first against CSK in IPL 2024 opener.<p>Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19 balls), who had a forgettable Ranji season with the bat, also hit a couple of sixes before a great piece of outfielding by Glenn Maxwell saw his back.</p><p>Dube and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 18 balls) were peppered with short balls from Alzarri Joseph and Cameron Green with the latter falling prey to one such delivery.</p><p>When RCB batted, Mustafizur brought back memories of his rookie days but an impressive rear-guard action from Rawat took RCB to a fighting total.</p><p>Rawat, who initially was cautious, launched into Tushar Deshpande, whose natural length is on the shorter side. Three sixes and a four in the 18th over turned the course as RCB knocked 83 runs in their last six overs. Rawat hit four fours and three sixes in his innings.</p><p>This was after Mustafizur took four wickets in his first two overs to reduce RCB to 78 for five.</p><p>'Fizz' as he is known in the cricketing fraternity wouldn't have got a first eleven nod had Matheesha Pathirana been fit to represent the 'Yellow Brigade'.</p><p>Brought in the Powerplay to stop a rampaging Faf du Plessis (35 off 23), Mustafizur, gauging the pace of the track, didn't keep it too full and bowled between the 7-8 metre length to extract enough bounce to get a couple of dismissals.</p><p>Kohli made a painstaking 21 off 20 balls in his first competitive game in more than two months.</p><p>Having got to face only six deliveries in the Powerplay, Kohli's first attacking stroke was a pull six off Maheesh Theekshana (0/36 in 4 overs) but he never looked in rhythm after a two-month paternity break as a mistimed pull led to his dismissal.</p><p>Rahane had caught it at deep mid-wicket but as he was about slide out, he flicked it inside for Rachin to complete the relay catch.</p><p>Mustafizur's best delivery however was one that cleaned up Green when he rolled his wrists to bowl a cutter with a wobbly seam.</p><p>At the onset, Deepak Chahar (1/37 in 4 overs) did look woefully short of match practice, as his loopy outswingers got harsh treatment first up from skipper Du Plessis.</p><p>But RCB's joy was short-lived as the skipper was caught in the deep after a brisk knock.</p><p>Rajat Patidar's (0) wretched run since England Tests continued as he nicked one to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.</p><p>The break in momentum for RCB worked in Chahar's favour as a change of ends saw him bowl one that pitched on back of length and moved a shade to have Glenn Maxwell caught behind.</p>
<p>Chennai: Mustafizur Rahman set it up with his bagful of cerebral variations before Ravindra Jadeja and Shivam Dube got the job done with their superlative finishing skills to script a comfortable six-wicket win for Chennai Super Kings over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/ipl-2024">Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 </a>opener here on Friday.</p><p>CSK, who have not lost to RCB at home since 2008, thus kept their enviable record intact.</p><p>Mustafizur, with his best ever IPL figures of 4/29 in four overs, was largely responsible for restricting RCB to 173 for six on a good batting track, where a 95-run sixth wicket stand off 50 balls between Anuj Rawat (48 off 25 balls) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not out off 26 balls) was the visitors' only saving grace.</p>.IPL 2024: RCB set 174 target for CSK.<p>Jadeja (25 not out off 17 balls) brought his oodles of experience just when things could have got tricky in the run chase, hurrying a rusty Dube (34 off 28 balls) into completing some quick doubles to complete the chase in 18.4 overs.</p><p>Dube also grew in confidence in Jadeja's company towards the end as he finished the chase in a jiffy.</p><p>Credit should also be given to Rachin Ravindra (37 off 15 balls), who teed off in brilliant fashion with three sixes and as many boundaries to set the tone.</p>.RCB decide to bat first against CSK in IPL 2024 opener.<p>Ajinkya Rahane (27 off 19 balls), who had a forgettable Ranji season with the bat, also hit a couple of sixes before a great piece of outfielding by Glenn Maxwell saw his back.</p><p>Dube and Daryl Mitchell (22 off 18 balls) were peppered with short balls from Alzarri Joseph and Cameron Green with the latter falling prey to one such delivery.</p><p>When RCB batted, Mustafizur brought back memories of his rookie days but an impressive rear-guard action from Rawat took RCB to a fighting total.</p><p>Rawat, who initially was cautious, launched into Tushar Deshpande, whose natural length is on the shorter side. Three sixes and a four in the 18th over turned the course as RCB knocked 83 runs in their last six overs. Rawat hit four fours and three sixes in his innings.</p><p>This was after Mustafizur took four wickets in his first two overs to reduce RCB to 78 for five.</p><p>'Fizz' as he is known in the cricketing fraternity wouldn't have got a first eleven nod had Matheesha Pathirana been fit to represent the 'Yellow Brigade'.</p><p>Brought in the Powerplay to stop a rampaging Faf du Plessis (35 off 23), Mustafizur, gauging the pace of the track, didn't keep it too full and bowled between the 7-8 metre length to extract enough bounce to get a couple of dismissals.</p><p>Kohli made a painstaking 21 off 20 balls in his first competitive game in more than two months.</p><p>Having got to face only six deliveries in the Powerplay, Kohli's first attacking stroke was a pull six off Maheesh Theekshana (0/36 in 4 overs) but he never looked in rhythm after a two-month paternity break as a mistimed pull led to his dismissal.</p><p>Rahane had caught it at deep mid-wicket but as he was about slide out, he flicked it inside for Rachin to complete the relay catch.</p><p>Mustafizur's best delivery however was one that cleaned up Green when he rolled his wrists to bowl a cutter with a wobbly seam.</p><p>At the onset, Deepak Chahar (1/37 in 4 overs) did look woefully short of match practice, as his loopy outswingers got harsh treatment first up from skipper Du Plessis.</p><p>But RCB's joy was short-lived as the skipper was caught in the deep after a brisk knock.</p><p>Rajat Patidar's (0) wretched run since England Tests continued as he nicked one to Mahendra Singh Dhoni behind the stumps.</p><p>The break in momentum for RCB worked in Chahar's favour as a change of ends saw him bowl one that pitched on back of length and moved a shade to have Glenn Maxwell caught behind.</p>