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The Southern derby between the Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore always promises to be an action-packed clash in the Indian Premier League.
Add to the mix, two Indian legends -- Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli -- facing off, and it's bound to be a cracking contest. Monday's clash at the M Chinnaswamy stadium didn't disappoint as the Bengaluru skyline witnessed a shower of sixes -- 33 maximums across two innings.
The number of sixes hit during the match is the joint-highest sixes hit in an IPL match. Incidentally, two other IPL contests have seen 33 sixes being hammered and one of them is a CSK vs RCB contest.
It was at the same venue where the two teams faced off on April 25, 2018, and 33 sixes were hit.
The only other time was in Sharjah, and CSK were once again involved. In their match against the Rajasthan Royals on September 22, 2020, the match saw 33 sixes being hammered.
In Monday's contest, CSK hit 17 sixes while RCB hammered 16.
But it was heartbreak for the hosts as they suffered an eight run loss at the hands of their neighbours.
While CSK had three power-hitters in Devon Conway, Shivam Dube and Ajinkya Rahane, the two batters who really stole the show -- though in vain -- were RCB Skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell.
Devon Conway
The CSK opener is enjoying a strong run this season. After Chennai lost Ruturaj Gaikwad (3) early, Conway put up a dazzling show.
His knock against RCB was his second consecutive fifty of the ongoing season. It was also his second fifty against RCB and fifth overall in the IPL.
Conway brought up his half-century off 32 deliveries. Anchoring CSK's innings, he built two match-winning partnerships. First with Ajinkya Rahane and then Shivam Dube.
Conway and Rahane, who is enjoying a stellar run with his new team, added a blistering 74 off 43 for the second wicket. The partnership set CSK up for a strong total.
But his third-wicket stand of 80 off 37 sealed RCB's fate. Conway and Dube hammered the ball around the park to set the visitors up for a massive knock.
Conway's 45-ball 83 saw Chennai post a mammoth 226/6. His match-winning innings was laced with six fours and six sixes.
The other two batters to stand out for Chennai were Rahane (37 off 20) and Dube (52 off 27).
Glenn Maxwell-Faf du Plessis's record stand
RCB had a mammoth task ahead of them and losing Kohli for 6 was a big blow. The Super Kings had complete control of the game with the hosts reduced to 15/2 in the first two overs.
But the best of the match was yet to come.
Coming in at No 4 Glenn Maxwell, along with Faf du Plessis, who was a little under the weather, put up a show for the ages.
The pair put up the highest third-wicket stand for the Challengers in the IPL as they cruised to 126 off 61.
With Maxwell and Faf scoring in tandem, it left the Challengers bowlers perplexed as the game slowly slipped away.
Maxwell, scoring at an impressive rate of 211.11, top-scored for the hosts with a 36-ball 76. The Australian all-rounder started hitting from the onset as he smashed eight sixes and three boundaries.
Meanwhile, du Plessis, a power-hitter himself, hammered a 33-ball 62 against his former side. Striking at a rate of 187.87, the former South African skipper hammered four sixes and five boundaries.
But the pair's scintillating innings went in vain as the RCB lost by 8 runs.