What happened the last time CSK played RCB at the Chepauk Stadium before IPL 2025?

Chennai Super Kings (CSK), the five-time champions of the Indian Premier League (IPL), will face off against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the eighth game of IPL 2025. The clash will take place at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, famously known as Chepauk.

The last time these two rivals faced each other at the Chepauk Stadium was in the opening match of the 2024 edition of the tournament, on March 22. It was the first game under a new captain for the Men in Yellow as MS Dhoni stepped down just a couple of days before the first match.

Ruturaj Gaikwad, leading one of the most successful franchises for the first time in IPL history, kicked off his captaincy career with CSK with a win against their close rivals RCB. The Faf du Plessis-led side eventually avenged their loss by winning their second encounter against CSK, also the last league stage game, to book their place in the playoffs.

Speaking of the game at Chepauk, RCB won the toss and decided to bat first. The skipper opened the innings alongside former captain Virat Kohli, and the duo got off to a good start, but the former was dismissed in the fifth over off Mustafizur Rahman.

The Bangladesh pacer doubled the celebrations by taking another wicket in the same over and sent Rajat Patidar back to the pavilion for a three-ball duck. Deepak Chahar joined the party soon after, as he scalped the prestigious wicket of Glenn Maxwell, dismissing the all-rounder for a golden duck.

Kohli was left stranded at one end as he watched wickets fall like dominoes. Lack of strike rotation by the RCB batters meant Kohli could face just 20 deliveries, and score 21 runs off them, before his dismissal in the 12th over.

Rahman made merry of the conditions on offer as he picked up two more wickets in the 12th over, also dismissing Cameron Green alongside Kohli, to finish his spell with figures of 4/29. Some late hitting by middle-order batters Anuj Rawat (48 off 25) and Dinesh Karthik (38* off 26) in the death overs helped RCB close their innings with 173 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets.

CSK batters’ equal contributions saw the home side open their campaign with a win

CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra started well before Yash Dayal dismissed the former inside the powerplay. Nonetheless, the New Zealand batter didn’t let the setback affect his batting as he notched up three fours and as many sixes in his 15-ball 37.

Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell contributed equally well, scoring 27 and 22 runs respectively, before being dismissed by Green. Eventually, it was the calm and composed partnership between Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja that helped CSK get past the finish line with ease.

While the former notched up 34* off 28 deliveries (four fours and a six), the spin-bowling all-rounder contributed with a well-made 25*(17) as CSK chased down the target in the 19th over, with eight balls to spare, to win the contest by six wickets.