"Sorry bhai WPL ne mujhe andha kar diya tha" - Fans react as RCB lose to CSK by 6 wickets in IPL 2024 opener

A clinical all-round display helped defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, March 22. It was RCB’s eighth loss in nine games at the venue. They last won in Chepauk in 2008.

Chasing 174, the Super Kings achieved the target with eight balls to spare. Rachin Ravindra, Ajinkya Rahane, and skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad chipped in with 37 (15), 27 (19) and run-a-ball 15, respectively.

Meanwhile, Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja stayed unbeaten on 34 (28) and 25 (17), respectively. The duo shared a match-winning 66-run partnership for the fifth wicket.

Cameron Green starred with the ball for RCB, returning with figures of 2/27 in his three overs, while Yash Dayal and Karn Sharma bagged one wicket each.

Batting first, RCB put up 173/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Anuj Rawat top scored with 48 runs off 25 balls, including three sixes and four boundaries. Dinesh Karthik also chipped in with 38 off 26, hitting two sixes and three boundaries. The duo shared a 95-run partnership to help rescue RCB from 78/5.

Meanwhile, skipper Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Cameron Green contributed 35 (23), 21 (20) and 18 (22), respectively.

Mustafizur Rahman starred with the ball for CSK, finishing with figures of 4/29, while Deepak Chahar scalped one wicket.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) roasted RCB for their loss to CSK in the 2024 IPL season opener. One user wrote:

"Sorry bhai WPL ne mujhe andha kar diya tha. Sone ja raha hun, IPL 2024 khatam ho jaye to jaga dena."

Here are some more reactions:

“We were 15-20 runs short” – Faf du Plessis reacts to RCB’s loss to CSK in IPL 2024 opener

Faf du Plessis felt that RCB lacked 15-20 runs against CSK, which led to their loss in the opening IPL 2024 game. The 39-year-old, however, credited Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik for their fighting knocks.

Du Plessis said in the post-match comments:

“Maybe we were about 15-20 runs short, the pitch wasn’t as bad as we played in the first 10 overs. They were always ahead in the chase, we tried to squeeze and get a couple of wickets, but in the end, we didn’t have enough runs."

He continued:

“Good for Dinesh to set up his season, especially for someone who hasn’t played a lot of cricket. Anuj has shown some great promise for us, he showed great composure for a young guy and great power through the backend.”

CSK will next face Gujarat Titans (GT) at the same venue on Tuesday, March 26. On the other hand, RCB will play against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next IPL game at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Monday, March 25.