Mar 28, 2025, 12:03 PM ET

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) 196 for 7 (Patidar 51, Salt 32, Noor 3-36, Pathirana 2-36) vs Chennai Super Kings (CSK)

Put in on a slightly tricky surface, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) displayed impressive intent as seven of their batters got into double figures, and they ended up with 196 for 7 against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), whom they are aiming to beat for the first time in Chennai since 2008. Captain Rajat Patidar was the standout batter for RCB, enjoying a life on 17, then surviving three half-chances, and eventually hitting three sixes in his 51 off 32 balls.

Left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmad raced away to the Purple Cap with three wickets to go after his four in the first match. Khaleel Ahmed was CSK’s most economical bowler, drawing seam movement early in the powerplay, then slowing the batters down with one over in the middle, and closing out with a wicket in the 18th over.

Matheesha Pathirana, replacing Nathan Ellis who had a good outing in the last game, pushed RCB back with an excellent 19th over, taking out Patidar and then conceding just one run, that too a wide.

However, Tim David took toll of Sam Curran, bowling only his third over in two matches, in the 20th over, hitting him for three sixes. Had the pitch turned as much as it did in the first game in Chennai, CSK might not even have needed Curran to bowl that last over. R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja managed only five overs between them for 59 runs as RCB seemed intent on not letting them get into the game. Ashwin, though, had his own back with the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal, who surprised CSK a little with his early assault at No. 3.

Noor still managed to draw something out of the pitch, taking the wickets of Phil Salt, Virat Kohli and Liam Livingstone. He and MS Dhoni added to the highlight reel with another brilliant stumping as Noor beat another right-hand batter on the outside edge, and Dhoni cashed in on a brief moment of the dragging of the back foot.