Hat-trick of defeats: David-Patidar show silences Chennai

BENGALURU: Sanju Samson’s Chennai Super Kings suffered their third consecutive defeat of the season, falling to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 43 runs in a high-scoring thriller. Chasing a daunting target of 251, CSK’s resistance ended at 207 runs in 19.4 overs. The primary undoing for the former champions was a lackluster performance from the top order, including Malayali star Sanju Samson.

The pursuit began poorly as Sanju Samson (9 off 5), captain Ruturaj Gaikwad (7 off 3), and youngster Ayush Mhatre (1 off 3) were dismissed early. While Sarfaraz Khan provided some fireworks with a blistering 50 off 25 balls, he lacked sustained support. Karthik Sharma fell for 6, and Shivam Dube struggled to find his rhythm, departing for 18 off 13 balls. Prashant Veer (43 off 29) and Jamie Overton (37 off 16) sparked a glimmer of hope with a late-order assault, but their dismissals effectively sealed Chennai's fate. Anshul Kamboj remained unbeaten on 19* (12), while Noor Ahmad (8) and Matt Henry (2) were the final wickets to fall.

The RCB bowling attack was led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took three wickets, while Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh, and Krunal Pandya claimed two wickets each. Suyash Sharma also chipped in with a single scalp.

Earlier, RCB posted a massive 250 for the loss of three wickets in their 20 overs. The protagonist was Australia’s Tim David, who shifted gears remarkably after scoring just two runs off his first five balls. He finished unbeaten on 70* off just 25 deliveries, an innings decorated with eight massive sixes and three fours. Openers Phil Salt (46 off 30) and Virat Kohli (28 off 18) provided a brisk start, laying the foundation for the onslaught.

Malayali excellence was on display through Edappal native Devdutt Padikkal, who kept the momentum high with a solid 50 off 29 balls, including five fours and two sixes. Captain Rajat Patidar played a lethal unbeaten knock of 48* from 19 balls, clearing the ropes six times. RCB’s innings was a display of pure power, totaling 19 sixes and 14 fours. On the bowling side for CSK, Anshul Kamboj, Jamie Overton, and Shivam Dube managed to pick up one wicket apiece.