IPL 2018: 4 nail-biting finishes in the Royal Challengers Bangalore-Chennai Super Kings rivalry

The rivalry between the Chennai Super Kings and the Royal Challengers Bangalore is referred to as the "Ashes of the South."

The intensity of this encounter is on-par with the most famous franchise rivalries in cricket. The contest between is also termed as Kaveri Derby sometimes.

The Chennai-based franchise has generally dominated this fixture and more often than not, has gotten the better of the Men in Red and Gold. Of the 20 matches that they have played against each other over the years, CSK have clinched as many as 13 victories.

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Head to Head Stats:

Played: 21

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 7

Chennai Super Kings: 13

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Let us take a look at some of the most famous matches of this rivalry.

#4 IPL 2014: Group stage

The encounter went down to the last over!

When CSK took on RCB in Ranchi for the 42nd league game of the season, MS Dhoni won the toss earlier and chose to bat first on a slowish track.

Left-handed batsman Suresh Raina scored an unbeaten 62 off 48 deliveries in a knock that included six fours and one six. David Hussey, who was the latest addition to the Chennai squad back then, contributed as well, scoring 25 runs with a strike rate above 100.

Despite the impressive performance from CSK, RCB were able to restrict the Men in Yellow for just 138 in 20 overs.

Defending a modest target, Dhoni decided to start his team's bowling innings with Ravichandran Ashwin's off-spin at one end. The finger-spinner gave just three runs in his first three overs and confused Chris Gayle repeatedly.

However, the left-hander weathered the storm to make a patient 46 from 50 balls before being dismissed in the 17th over of the chase. Virat Kolhi was also sent back to the pavilion after making 27 off 29 deliveries. At that point, RCB still required 60 from 37 balls.

That's when AB de Villiers walked into the middle. On a surface where the likes of Gayle and Kohli found it tough to get going, the South African batsman played riveting shots in all the directions. Moreover, he brought back the required run rate to a run-a-ball margin by hitting three humungous sixes in his innings. However, he perished while he attempted to hit a fourth in the 18th over of the innings. RCB needed 14 of 2 overs and the onus of the chase fell on the shoulders of Yuvraj Singh, the highest-selling player at the auction that year.

However, the left-hander missed three consecutive deliveries off Jadeja's bowling in the second-last over of the game. That meant that his team needed 10 runs off the last six deliveries. In a surprising move, Dhoni gave the ball to Hussey in the final over. The move proved to be suicidal for CSK. Yuvraj cleared the ropes off the very first delivery of the over and Abu Nechim ended up scoring the winning runs for RCB off its second-last ball.

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Match Summary:

CSK: 138/4 in 20 overs (Raina 62, V Aaron 2/29)

RCB: 142/5 in 19.5 overs (Gayle 46, Ashwin 4/16)

#3 IPL 2013, League game

The infamous no-ball!

Batting first on a flat track that offered much assistance to the batsmen, Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to post a total of 165 runs on the board after the first innings. De Villers' blistering knock of 64 from 32 deliveries was the highlight of the same.

Chasing a tricky target, the Chennai Super Kings were in deep trouble in the initial chunk of the batting powerplay. They lost both their openers, Murali Vijay and Michael Hussey, and were struggling at 10-2 after four overs.

However, they tried to regroup after that and were partially successful. At the end of 15 overs, CSK were in a moderate position on 101/4, where they required 65 runs off the last 30 balls.

Chennai were in with a substantial hope of chasing the target as the finish-master, Dhoni, was still in the middle. He looked well settled in the middle with a score of 33 runs off 23 deliveries to his name. However, he was sent back to the pavilion by Ravi Rampaul in the second last over of the game.

Jadeja and Chris Morris were at the crease for the last over, in which CSK required 16 runs to win the encounter. After some thrilling cricket in the first five deliveries, the Chennai-based franchise needed two runs from the last delivery of the game. Jadeja, in an attempt to loft the ball in the third-man region, was caught by Rampaul in the 30-yard circle.

The RCB players and fans started celebrating, only to realize that the umpire was signalling a no-ball. A grave mistake from RP Singh in a crunch moment of the game lead CSK to victory with a ball to spare.

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Match Summary

RCB: 165/6 in 20 overs (De Villiers 64, Morris 3/40)

CSK: 166/6 in 19.5 overs (Jadeja 38*, Rampaul 3/31)

#2 IPL 2015, Qualifier 2

It was a special performance from the CSK skipper

After being put in to bat first on a slow pitch, the Royal Challengers Bangalore managed to put up a decent total of 139 for the loss of eight wickets at the end of 20 overs. At one stage of the innings, they were limping at the score of 36 for 3 and things looked meek for them going forward. However, young Sarfaraz Khan added 31 off 21 balls at the end of the innings to take his team's tally to a fighting score.

In the second innings, CSK had a bright start to their chase when their opening batsman, Dwayne Smith, added 17 runs off just 11 deliveries. However, the carnage from his willow was shortlived as he had to return to the pavilion in the fourth over of the game.

Michael Hussey and Faf du Plessis steadied the ship for the Men in Yellow after his dismissal. In the 9th over, though, Yuzvendra Chahal stepped up for RCB and scalped the wickets of Du Plessis and Raina in the same over.

However, Hussey and Dhoni grinded it out to put CSK in a winning position once again. Chahal was hit for two sixes in the 16th over of the game, which brought down the required run rate to a manageable level.

Although Hussey was dismissed in the 17th over, Dhoni carried on to take CSK to a record six IPL finals in just eight attempts.

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Match Summary

RCB 139/8 in 20 Overs( Chris Gayle 42, Nehra 28/3)

CSK 140/7 in 19.5 Overs( Mike Hussey 56, Chahal 28/2)

#1 IPL 2013: League game (8 overs per side)

Blitzkrieg from the RCB talisman!

Before the match started, the Royal Challengers Bangalore had to win the game so as to keep their playoff hopes alive. However, it rained cats and dogs on the day and it seemed like the home team would have to settle for a one-point-per-side draw. However, the Rain gods finally relented to the prayers of the crowds gathered in the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The match was going to be initiated 11 pm, three hours after the scheduled time. It was reduced to an eight-over per side affair and it looked to be a thrilling proposition.

The hosts were invited to bat first and Gayle and Kohli opened the innings for RCB. Dhoni relied on his tactic of playing Ashwin against Gayle to keep left-hander in check. However, it proved to be a costly decision for the visitors, as Kohli used his feet brilliantly against Ashwin to launch a ball over long-on in the first over of the game.

The right-handed batsman shared a partnership of 67 from 32 balls with Gayle, before the latter was finally for 28 off 13 deliveries. De Villiers could not fire on the night and returned to the pavilion minutes Gayle's departure. However, RCB did not let the pressure pile on them. Moises Henriques and Kohli ripped apart the bowlers to take the total to 106-2.

Unlike RCB, CSK's fate in the competition did not hinge on the result of this encounter. Hence, the Men in Yellow chose to go with a conservative approach after the early dismissals of Hussey, Raina and Dwayne Bravo, in order to sustain their NRR.

Veteran pacer Zaheer Khan was the pick of the RCB bowlers. He scalped four wickets in his quota of 2 overs and gave away just 17 runs, which was excellent for the circumstances he was bowling in. Ultimately, RCB pulled off a stunning victory with a 24-run margin.

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Match Summary

RCB 106 for 2 in 8 overs (Kohli 56*, Gayle 28)

CSK 82 for 6 in 8 overs (Vijay 32, Zaheer 4/17)