NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 commenced with an electrifying encounter at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) clinched a dramatic six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Friday.
CSK chased down RCB's total of 173 with eight balls to spare, marking a thrilling start to the season.
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Amidst the intense contest, a viral moment involving former RCB captain Virat Kohli garnered attention on social media. Kohli's animated reaction, captured by the camera, sparked controversy as he appeared to deliver an aggressive send-off to IPL debutant and CSK opener Rachin Ravindra after the latter's dismissal.
CSK's victory not only marked a successful start to their title defense but also extended their remarkable winning streak against RCB at Chepauk. The win secured CSK's eighth consecutive victory over RCB at the venue, reaffirming their dominance in head-to-head encounters.
While CSK celebrated their triumph, Kohli's return to competitive cricket saw him facing challenges, managing a modest 20-ball 21 in his first competitive appearance in over two months.
1/10:Chennai Super Kings down Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2024 opener
IANS
2/10:Mustafizur's brilliance
Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman returned figures of 4-29 to set up a six-wicket win for defending champions Chennai Super Kings in the IPL opener against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday.PTI
3/10:Shivam Dube & Ravindra Jadeja's stand
Hosts CSK restricted Bengaluru to 173/6 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Shivam Dube, who hit 34, and Ravindra Jadeja, who made 25, put on an unbeaten stand of 66 to steer the team home.PTI
4/10:IPL opening ceremony
The 17th edition of the lucrative league began with a glitzy ceremony, with performances by Bollywood stars including India's Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman.AFP
5/10:Dhoni's captaincy handover
<p>Old warhorse MS Dhoni had shocked his fans on the eve of the opener when he handed over the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad, who said he got to know of the decision last week.</p>PTI
6/10:Man of the Match: Mustafizur
Mustafizur had Du Plessis caught out for 35 and RCB slipped from 41-0 to 42-3 in the space of seven balls when Glenn Maxwell was out for a first-ball duck off Deepak Chahar. Mustafizur was named man of the match.AP
7/10:Virat Kohli's return
Virat Kohli returned to competitive cricket after two months following a paternity break. He made 21 off 20 balls including a six off spinner Maheesh Theekshana before his departure in another inspired spell by Mustafizur.AP
8/10:Chennai's batting display
CSK's batsmen including IPL debutant Ravindra, who hit a 15-ball 37, got starts but lost regular wickets. Dube, who came in as impact substitute in place of Mustafizur, and Jadeja ensured the team sailed through.ANI
9/10:Green's bowling impact
Green struck with two key wickets including Rahane (27) and Daryl Mitchell (22) with his fast-medium bowling but Jadeja kept the chase going.PTI
