IPL 2024: Mustafizur's four-fer, Rachin's solid debut and other top moments from CSK-RCB clash

Ruturaj Gaikwad began his reign as Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper on a winning note as the five-time champions defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in Chennai on Friday to begin their 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign in style.

The Royal Challengers, who are hoping to end their long wait for a maiden IPL title this year, were in deep trouble at one point thanks to left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s (4/29) heroics, for which he was later adjudged the ‘Player of the Match’. A late flourish, however, helped them finish on a relatively competitive 173/6.

CSK, in reply, got off to a flying start thanks to their openers — captain Ruturaj Gaikwad collected two boundaries in the very first over, off Mohammed Shami’s bowling. That was followed by debutant Rachin Ravindra going hammer-and-tongs from the other end with Chennai losing their first wicket with 38 on the board at the end of the fourth over.

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Chennai were off to a solid start in reply, and managed to stay in the hunt despite losing wickets in the middle overs, and all it took was one solid partnership for them to go past the finish line with plenty of wickets and deliveries in hand.

Here are five standout moments from the opening game of the 17th season of the Indian Premier League:

Rachin and Rahane’s superb catches

IPL debutant Rachin Ravindra made an instant impact after being handed his maiden cap alongside Uttar Pradesh’s Sameer Rizvi, putting in a slide at deep point to bring Faf du Plessis’s fiery knock to an end. Du Plessis was batting on 35 off 22 deliveries after opting to bat when he slashed hard at a cutter outside off, holing out to the Kiwi as a result.

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Ravindra would later join forces with Ajinkya Rahane to help dismiss Virat Kohli for a 20-ball 21. It was another slower delivery that fetched the Bangladeshi left-arm pacer a wicket as Kohli failed to clear the boundary rope while attempting a pull. Rahane proved that age is just a number as he put in a slide running in the opposite direction before throwing the ball at Ravindra before his feet could hit the advertising cushion.

Fizz rips through RCB batting lineup

The highlight of the day was the manner in which Mustafizur Rahman ran through the RCB batting lineup with his maiden four-wicket haul in the IPL that left Du Plessis and Co gasping for air at 78/5 at one point.

‘Fizz’ struck twice in each of his first two overs, with his figures reading 2-0-7-4 at one stage. The Bangladeshi left-arm pacer, who appeared doubtful at one stage after getting stretchered off in an ODI against Sri Lanka and only getting picked in CSK’s XI due to an injury to Matheesha Pathirana, dismissed skipper du Plessis to halt the RCB’s spirited charge in the powerplay before removing the under-fire Rajat Patidar for a duck later in the same over.

It would be a similar story in his next over as Kohli, who was struggling to get going but managed to enter the 12,000-club regardless , ended up caught in remarkable fashion near deep midwicket. All-rounder Cameron Green would then get cleaned up to become Mustafizur’s fourth wicket.

The seamer would make use of the delivery that has brought him the most success so far in his career — the cutter, which accounted for three of his four dismissals on Friday.

Rawat and DK to the rescue

While du Plessis’ heroics early in the innings helped set the tone for the Royal Challengers as they set their sights a 180-plus total, it was ultimately a spirited sixth-wicket partnership between the middle-order wicketkeeping pair of Anuj Rawat (48) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not out) and their 95-run partnership for the sixth wicket that ultimately helped RCB finish within touching distance of 180.

After the Fizz-inspired destruction helped CSK restrict RCB to 78/5, Rawat smashed 48 in just 25 deliveries, collecting four fours and three sixes along the way and was the final batter to fall after responding to Karthik’s call for a quick single off the last ball of the innings, with Dhoni under-arming the ball to the striker’s stumps.

Ravindra shines on debut

New Zealand sensation Rachin Ravindra had a memorable day while making his IPL debut on Friday. First as a fielder, with Ravindra putting in a slide to complete an excellent catch, dismissing Du Plessis in the process. Shortly after, he would pull off a relay catch with Ajinkya Rahane with the latter doing the hard work.

And it certainly was an innings to remember for Ravindra with the bat as he appeared to have carried on from where he left off in last year’s World Cup, smashing 37 off jus 15 deliveries with three sixes and as many fours. Thanks to his aggressive display, CSK weren’t really falling a long way off from the required rate.

Another Ravindra guides CSK home in Dube’s company

Though they never really were panicking at any stage during their chase and didn’t quite suffer a batting collapse the way RCB did earlier in the day, there might have been a few nerves in the CSK dugout after CSK lost the wickets of Ajinkya Rahane and Daryl Mitchell, both off Cameron Green’s bowling to get reduced to 110/4.

At that point, all-rounder Shivam Dube was struggling to find his timing and things could’ve gone south for the Super Kings had it not been for the other Ravindra — senior all-rounder Jadeja — putting CSK back in the driver’s seat with some lusty blows starting with a maximum off Glenn Maxwell. Dube perhaps needed Jadeja’s support to overcome the early jitters and eventually surge ahead of his partner, and the two managed to guide their team home with an unbroken 66-run stand for the fifth wicket.