Faf Du Plessis, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), was thrilled with his team’s comeback to secure the final playoff spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He described the team’s turnaround as “fun.” RCB had a tough start, winning only one out of their first eight games. However, they bounced back with six consecutive wins to make it to the playoffs. RCB ended the league stage in fourth place with seven wins, seven losses, and a total of 14 points, edging out CSK, Delhi Capitals (DC), and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) due to a better net-run-rate.
Du Plessis shared his excitement on Instagram, praising the team’s effort in achieving what seemed impossible. He looked forward to the upcoming matches.
RCB’s next game is an eliminator against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on May 22. The winner will play in Qualifier 2 in Chennai on May 24 against the loser of Qualifier 1. The winner of Qualifier 2 will advance to the final on May 26 in Chennai.
This season, Du Plessis has scored 421 runs with an average of 30.07 and a strike rate above 163, including four half-centuries and a top score of 64.
In their match against CSK, RCB batted first and scored 218/5. Key contributions came from Du Plessis (54), Virat Kohli (47), Rajat Patidar (41), and Cameron Green (38*). Dinesh Karthik (14) and Glenn Maxwell (16) also added crucial runs.
To qualify for the playoffs, RCB needed to restrict CSK to below 201 runs. CSK, chasing 219, lost two early wickets and were at 19/2. Despite a 66-run partnership between Rachin Ravindra (61) and Ajinkya Rahane (33), CSK fell to 129/6. Ravindra Jadeja (42*) and MS Dhoni (25) then formed a threatening partnership, but Yash Dayal’s excellent final over ensured RCB restricted CSK to 191/7, securing their place in the playoffs.
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