Royal Challengers Bengaluru made a strong statement in their IPL campaign, overpowering Chennai Super Kings with a thumping 50-run victory in Chennai on Friday, March 28, 2025.
Rajat Patidar starred with a quickfire half-century, while Phil Salt and Tim David provided the fireworks.
For CSK, none of the batters could rise to the occasion as they struggled to challenge RCB's bowling attack.
A look at the best knocks...
Rajat Patidar
Patidar is thriving under the added responsibility of captaincy. Not only did he shine with the bat, but his sharp leadership helped RCB clinch their first win in Chepauk in 17 years.
After a brief cameo in the opening game against KKR, Patidar played a match-defining knock of 51 against CSK.
With Virat Kohli struggling to get going, CSK's bowlers sensed an opportunity to get back into the contest after RCB's fiery start.
17 balls passed without a boundary before Patidar finally swung Noor Ahmad over midwicket for a six. He had a slice of luck when Deepak Hooda dropped a simple catch at long off in the 12th over off Ravindra Jadeja.
Patidar made CSK pay, taking on Jadeja with a six and two fours in the 14th over to shift the momentum in RCB's favor.
His dominance against spin continues to stand out. Since the start of IPL 2023, no batter has hit sixes more frequently against spinners than Patidar.
He reached his fifty off 30 balls, slashing Khaleel Ahmed over point in the 18th over, steering RCB towards a match-winning total.
Phil Salt
RCB splashed big money on Salt, and the explosive batter is already proving to be a game-changer.
After a stellar season for champions KKR last year -- where he smashed 435 runs in 12 matches at a stunning strike rate of 182 -- Salt has carried his form into IPL 2025.
Having starred with a fifty on debut against KKR in the first game, Salt played another impactful knock against CSK.
He made a streaky start, edging left-armer Khaleel Ahmed for a boundary over the slips before slicing another one over point for another four. He went after Ravichandran Ashwin, who bowled the second over, smashing the veteran spinner for a six and couple of fours to set the tone.
With Kohli struggling for fluency in the Powerplay, Salt took charge, as he smashed his way to 32 off just 16 balls, ensuring RCB got off to a flier.
Tim David
While Salt set the tone early, Tim David provided the finishing touch with a breathtaking cameo at the death.
RCB stumbled towards the end, losing three wickets for four runs in the space of nine balls after Matheesha Pathirana claimed two wickets in the 19th over.
However, David turned the tide with his brutal strokeplay in the final over.
The big-hitting Australian unleashed his power against Sam Curran, hammering three huge sixes in the final over to propel RCB to a massive 196 in their 20 overs -- a total that proved beyond CSK's reach.
Photographs: BCCI
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