On May 5, 2018, the 35th match of the IPL 2018 season saw the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) emerge victorious against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. CSK chased down a target of 128 runs, finishing their innings at 128 for 4 in just 18 overs, marking a convincing win by 6 wickets with 12 balls remaining.
Batting first, RCB struggled to form a solid partnership and were restricted to 127 runs in their full quota of 20 overs. Parthiv Patel was the standout performer with the bat for RCB, scoring 53 runs off 41 balls, hitting 5 fours and 2 sixes. However, the rest of the batting lineup faltered as Virat Kohli scored just 8 runs, and AB de Villiers, a key player, was dismissed for just 1 run.
In response, CSK's innings was spearheaded by Ambati Rayudu and MS Dhoni, with Rayudu contributing a steady 32 runs off 25 balls, and Dhoni finishing the game unbeaten on 31 runs from 23 deliveries. Shane Watson and Suresh Raina were dismissed early on, but their impactful middle-order managed to steady the ship and lead CSK to a successful chase, displaying a mix of resilience and tactical batting.
The bowling for RCB saw Ravichandran Ashwin and Umesh Yadav pick up key wickets but lacked cohesion as CSK found boundaries at regular intervals, effectively steering their innings toward victory.
For CSK, the heroes were their bowlers as well, with Ravindra Jadeja being particularly effective, taking 3 wickets for just 18 runs, ensuring RCB did not get off to a strong start.
This match reaffirmed CSK's competitive prowess in the tournament, showcasing both their impactful batting and disciplined bowling capabilities. With this victory, CSK solidified their standing in the IPL 2018 season, continuing to build on their legacy as one of the tournament favorites.