IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore, Chennai Super Kings emerge victorious on double-header day

New Delhi [India], April 24 : In a double-header day full of exciting finishes and records, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and four-time champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) emerged victorious in their respective Indian Premier League (IPL) matches against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday.
In the first match of the day, RCB took on RR at M Chinnaswammy Stadium in Bengaluru and the former wore green jerseys, continuing a tradition since 2011 of dedicating one home game to the cause of a clean and green environment.
Put to bat first by RR, RCB posted 189/9 in their 20 overs. After losing stand-in skipper Virat Kohli for a golden duck and being reduced to 12/2, Faf du Plessis (62 off 39 balls with eight fours and two sixes) and Glenn Maxwell (77 off 44 balls with six fours and four sixes) put on a 127-run stand for the third wicket.
This stand proved to be instrumental in helping RCB post a competitive total. Trent Boult (2/41) was the pick of the bowlers for RR. Sandeep Sharma also took 2/49 in his four overs. Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin got a wicket each.
In chase of 190, RR lost their star batter Jos Buttler for a duck. But a 98-run stand for the second wicket between Yashasvi Jaiswal (47 off 37 balls with five fours and two sixes) and Devdutt Padikkal (52 off 34 balls with seven fours and a six) pushed RR back into the match.
Later contributions came from skipper Sanju Samson (22 in 15 balls with two fours and a six) and Dhruv Jurel (34* off 16 balls, with two fours and two sixes), but exceptional death bowling from RCB left them seven runs short of a win.
Harshal Patel (3/32) was the pick of the bowlers for RCB and indeed made an impact as 'Impact Player'. Mohammed Siraj and David Willey got a wicket each.
Talking about the records that were broken in this match, Rajasthan Royals (RR) pacer Trent Boult on Sunday completed 100 wickets in Indian Premier League (IPL).
Boult achieved yet another milestone by dismissing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) right-handed batter Virat Kohli for a golden duck with his signature inswinger in the opening delivery of the innings.
https://twitter.com/IPL/status/1650078041820008449
Boult unlocked this milestone during a match against RCB at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. It's the first time he has dismissed Virat Kohli in the IPL.
The second record was made by all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who added one more feather to his Indian Premier League (IPL) career when he completed 1,000 runs for Royals Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Sunday.
The Australian player reached this milestone during the match against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In the match, he scored 77 runs off 44 balls comprising six fours and four sixes at a strike rate of 175. His innings guided RCB to 189 runs on the board.
Maxwell was given the 'Player of the Match' for his match-winning fifty.
In the second match, KKR took on CSK at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Chennai Super Kings made it three wins in a row and jumped to the top of the table by beating Kolkata Knight Riders in Match 33 of IPL 2023 at the Eden Gardens.
Ajinkya Rahane's whirlwind 71*(29), Shivam Dube's blistering 50 (21) coupled with consistent Conway's stylish 56 (40) powered CSK to a mammoth 235/4. A collective bowling effort saw the bowlers pick up regular wickets and restrict KKR to 186/8 to achieve a comprehensive win.
Put to bat first by KKR, CSK posted a massive 235/4 in their 20 overs. CSK started well with an opening stand of 73 runs between Ruturaj Gaikwad (35 in 20 balls with two fours and three sixes) and Devon Conway (56 off 40 balls with four boundaries and three sixes). Conway brought up his fourth successive IPL fifty.
After the dismissal of the openers, came an explosive 85-run stand for the third wicket in just 34 balls between Ajinkya Rahane and Shivam Dube. Rahane continued his competitive cricket revival with an explosive knock of 71* in 29 balls with six fours and five sixes. Dube also smashed 50 in 21 balls, consisting of two fours and five sixes. Ravindra Jadeja (18 in eight balls) played a cameo at the end.
Kulwant Khejroliya (2/44 in three overs) was the pick of the bowlers for KKR. Varun Chakravarthy and Suyash Sharma took a wicket each.
In chase of 236, KKR seemed doomed from the start. They were reeling at 70/4 in 8.2 overs. But a 65-run stand between Jason Roy (61 in 26 balls with five fours and five sixes) and Rinku Singh offered temporary hope to KKR. Despite Rinku's knock of 53 in 33 balls with three fours and four sixes, KKR fell short of 49 runs of a win, finishing at 186/8 in 20 overs.
Maheesh Theekshana ended as the leading bowler for CSK with 2/32 in four overs. Tushar Deshpande also took 2/43 in his four overs. Moeen Ali, Ravindra Jadeja, Akash Singh and Mathisha Pathirana got a wicket each.
There have been nine instances of 30 or more sixes hit in an IPL match including today, with CSK being involved in seven of them.
With this win, CSK is at the top of the points table with five wins and two losses. They have a total of 10 points. KKR is in the eighth spot, having lost five of their seven games and winning only two. They have a total of four points.
RCB is at the fifth spot in the points table with four wins and three losses, with a total of eight points. RR has slipped to the second spot, having four wins and three losses in seven games, with a total of eight points.
After the match, CSK captain MS Dhoni said, "I will just say thanks for the support, they came in big numbers. Most of these guys will come in a KKR jersey next time. They are trying to give me a farewell, so thanks a lot to the crowd. Fast bowlers are doing their job, so are spinners in the middle. The wicket was short on one side so we needed to get early wickets and keep the pressure. They have plenty of power hitters, so we had to give respect to the opposition. I have a clear funda, if someone is injured he can't do anything. You just move on and motivate the youngsters to perform. We have been fortunate that all the guys coming in performs. (On Rahane) We realise the potential of someone when we allow him to bat the way he bats. Give him the freedom, give him the best position."
"Tough to digest. Always going to be difficult chasing 236 especially if you don't have a good powerplay. Have to give credit to Rahane. As I said, it's tough to digest that we conceded a score like that. We do have some positives," KKR captain Nitish Rana said after the match.