IPL 2025: Hazlewood's Early Strikes Following Patidar's Fifty Propel RCB Past CSK After 17 Years

Chennai, March 28 (NationPress) Josh Hazlewood delivered a couple of crucial early wickets following Rajat Patidar's inaugural half-century as captain, enabling the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to conquer the Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium for the first time in 17 years during Match 8 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 on Friday.

RCB had previously triumphed over CSK at their home ground in the first edition back in 2008 but faced defeat every time since then in the CSK stronghold. On Friday, they showcased a remarkable all-around performance, clinching a victory by 50 runs, which marked CSK’s largest defeat at Chepauk.

Patidar (51) took advantage of two dropped chances when he was on 17, striking exquisite shots to reach his fifty off just 30 balls. He was dismissed shortly after, and just when it appeared RCB might fall short of the 200-run target, Tim David smashed a hat-trick of sixes in the last over, bringing them close to what seemed a competitive score.

Most RCB batters made significant contributions, with Phil Salt scoring 32 off 16 balls, Virat Kohli adding 31 off 30, Devdutt Padikkal hitting 27 off 14, and Tim David finishing with an unbeaten 22 off 8 balls in a remarkable cameo, as both teams battled for control.

Josh Hazlewood initiated RCB's success in the second over, dismissing Rahul Tripathi (5) by having him edge one behind to Salt, utilizing a hard length and extracting some bounce as Tripathi mistimed his pull shot.

One wicket led to another for RCB, as Hazlewood struck again four balls later, dismissing CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (0) who skied one to deep fine leg.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal contributed with additional wickets as Deepak Hooda (4), Sam Curran (8), and Rachin Ravindra (41 off 31) fell in quick succession, leaving CSK reeling at 75/5 in the 12th over, as the early wickets and scoreboard pressure hindered Chennai's progress. Ravindra began well but could not maintain momentum as RCB's bowlers consistently delivered tight lines and varied their pace on a pitch where the ball was sticking slightly in the second innings.

Shivam Dube (19 off 15), Ravindra Jadeja (25 off 19), and Ravichandran Ashwin attempted to counterattack but to no avail. MS Dhoni hit a couple of sixes in the final over, finishing unbeaten with 30 off 16 balls. With this performance, Dhoni became CSK's all-time leading run-scorer in IPL history with 4699 runs, surpassing Suresh Raina's tally of 4687. Alongside Dhoni’s stumping of Phil Salt and Noor Ahmad's three-wicket haul, these were the few highlights for CSK in this match.

For RCB, Hazlewood finished with figures of 3-21, Yash Dayal 2-18, and Liam Livingstone 2-28, all delivering exceptional performances to disrupt CSK's innings.

Earlier, after being asked to bat first, RCB started strongly, led primarily by English opener Phil Salt, who aggressively targeted Khaleel Ahmed with consecutive boundaries in the opening over. He followed up by pulling Ravichandran Ashwin over fine leg and then executing cuts through extra cover along with another pull to the boundary.

His aggressive innings ended when MS Dhoni executed a stunning stumping off Noor Ahmad, concluding his knock at 32 runs from 16 balls, decorated with five boundaries and a six. Dhoni’s swift work behind the stumps left fans in awe.

Padikkal and Kohli fell just as they were becoming a threat, and it appeared Patidar would also be dismissed early, but he was dropped twice—first by Deepak Hooda off Ravindra Jadeja and then by Rahul Tripathi off Noor Ahmad. Patidar capitalized by blasting a six and a four off Jadeja and hitting a six off Pathirana before being caught by Sam Curran off Pathirana.

RCB lost Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Krunal Pandya in pursuit of quick runs before Tim David's explosive final over, where he struck a hat-trick of sixes off Sam Curran.

For CSK, Noor Ahmad showcased his skills again, finishing with figures of 3-36, in addition to his earlier performance of 4-18 against the Mumbai Indians. Matheesha Pathirana took two wickets in a single over during a brilliant effort in the death overs.

Brief scores:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 196/7 in 20 overs (Rajat Patidar 51, Phil Salt 32, Tim David 22 not out; Noor Ahmad 3-36, Matheesha Pathirana 2-36) defeated Chennai Super Kings 146/8 in 20 overs (Rachin Ravindra 41, MS Dhoni 30 not out; Josh Hazlewood 3-21, Yash Dayal 2-18, Liam Livingstone 2-28) by 50 runs.