Mustafizur's 4-29 Helps CSK Beat RCB In IPL 2024 Opener

IPL 2024: Mustafizur's 4-29 helps CSK, Ruturaj Gaikwad make a winning start against RCB (Ld) (Image Source: IANS)

Pacer Mustafizur Rahman claimed the first four-fer of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 as he helped Chennai Super Kings and their skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad make a winning start in the tournament, beating Royal Challengers Bengaluru by six wickets with eight balls to spare at the MA Chidambaram Stadium here on Friday.

Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur, in his debut match for CSK, was brilliant as he used the conditions well, varied the pace, mixed up slow balls well, and destroyed the RCB middle-order for a brilliant haul of 4-29 in four overs.

After Mustafizur's 4-29 helped them restrict RCB to 173/6 despite a superb rearguard partnership of 95 between Anuj Rawat (48) and Dinesh Karthik (38 not out), Chennai made a poor start and lost a couple of wickets in the middle before cameos by Ajinkya Rahane (27), Daryll Mitchell (22), Shivam Dube (34 not out) and Ravindra Jadeja (25 not out) as CSK reached 176/4 in 18.4 overs, winning the match with a bit of fuel in the tank.

This was CSK's eighth successive win over RCB at the Chepauk Stadium with RCB's last win over CSK at this venue coming over a decade back.

CSK's new skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad and Rachin Ravindra could manage only 38 runs for the opening wicket on a pitch that became slow as the day progressed.

Gaikwad was out for a run-a-ball 15, caught on the second attempt by Cameron Green at first slip off Yash Dayal. Ravindra was in blazing form as he hammered 37 off 15 balls, hitting three boundaries and as many sixes. But he was out just when he was looking good for a big one, going for a shot too much and holing out to Rajat Patidar off Karn Sharma -- CSK were 71/2 in the 7th over.

Read More