RCB 108/1 in 12 overs
Du Plessis jabs one to the leg side to take a single to get to his fifty. Length from Theekshana and Patidar whacks it over long off for his first six of the day. 10 runs off the over.
RCB 98/1 in 11 overs
Faf decides to go on the aggressive. Makes room on the leg side before slamming Jadeja past extra cover for a single. Fuller from Jadeja now and Faf times it straight back over the umpire for a six. Full once again. Faf goes big again. Lobs it over the off side fence for another six.
Kohli falls!
Santner continues around the wicket. Slow and on point. All Kohli can do is tap it to the off side for a single. Faf returns the strike with a single to the leg side. Fuller one from Santner and Kohli slogs it over mid wicket. SIX!!!
Santner pushes it in again. This time it grips the surface a bit more. Mistimed and an easy catch for Mitchell at long on.
Virat Kohli c Mitchell b Santner 47 (29b 3x4 4x6)
RCB 78/1 in 10 overs
70/0 in 9 overs
Jadeja continues. Faf lofts it over covers for a couple of runs. A misfield from Jadeja allows Faf to add another single. Jadeja pushes it in and Kohli brings out the slog sweep. SIX!!! 10 runs from the over.
RCB 60/0 in 8 overs
Unplayable! Kohli doesn’t know what happened there as Santner whizzes one past his outside edge. Santner goes short and Kohli cracks it over extra cover for a four. Kohli drives one to long off for a single.
RCB 52/0 in 7 overs
Jadeja into the attack as CSK looks to exploit the spin-friendly conditions. Outside off from Jadeja and Kohli flays at it. Edged and runs away for a four. Kohli and Faf keep it ticking with singles.
RCB 42/0 in 6 overs
Theekshana cramps Faf with one that jags back in. Beaten. Theekshana goes full now. Faf smokes it for a four straight over the bowler’s head. Theekshana responds with a couple of dot balls.
RCB 37/0 in 5 overs
Santner’s turn to have a go. And he is into it straight away. Spins one away from Kohli. Edge and it falls just short of the fielder at short third. Kohli jabs a bounced up one for a single. Santner now goes after Faf. Two play and misses up next. Short from Santner and Faf gets it to deep mid wicket for a single.
RCB 35/0 in 4 overs
Kohli on strike as the game restarts. Gaikwad turns to Theekshana. Kohli ticks one to the leg side get things going again. Theekshana jams it in against Du Plessis and gains three dot balls. The last of them offered a glimpse of the bounce of the surface.
Restart time!
8:25 PM restart and no overs lost.
Covers are coming off!
Covers are coming off at the Chinnaswamy. The pitch too is uncovered. We can expect a restart soon.
Good news!
The rain has subsided and the ground staff are out trying to get the outfield dry. Broadcasters says if it doesn’t rain again, play could resume in 10 to 15 minutes.
In focus
As per the the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru could witness thunderstorms on Saturday when RCB and CSK take on each other in a battle for the fourth and final IPL 2024 playoff spot.
Rain stops play!
And just when RCB’s innings was gaining momentum the skies open up.
RCB 30/0 in 3 overs
Here we go. Kohli steps across the stumps before flicking Deshpande out of the park, beyond the square leg fence. SIX!!!! Again leg sideish delivery from Deshpande. Kohli pulls it emphatically behind square. SIX MORE!!! A single off the last ball ensures Kohli retains the strike.
RCB 18/0 in 2 overs
Shardul Thakur from the other end. Du Plessis goes over the top and gets off the strike. Narrowly wide from Shardul now and Kohli expertly guides it for a four behind the square on the off side. Fuller now from Shardul and Kohli drives it for a single. Another swing and a miss from Faf. Shardul pushes it full and this time Faf doesn’t miss. Crunched for a four through covers. Again full and Faf swings through the line. Six straight back.
RCB 2/0 in 1 over
Kohli is off the mark straight away. Cuts one to deep third to take a single. Sharp from Deshpande to Faf. Three dot balls follow. Faf decides to take on the right-arm pacer by stepping down. Misses the outside edge by a fraction. A tapped single to close out the over.
First-innings begins!
Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli have made it out into the middle. Tushar Deshpande with the ball for CSK.
In case you are wondering!
RCB vs CSK, IPL 2024: Duckworth-Lewis method in cricket - DLS rules, methods, and calculations during rain-shortened limited-overs matches.
Some title-winning tips maybe!
Faf du Plessis after the toss!
We would have fielded as well, but we put up a good score when we batted first last. Losing the toss isn’t ideal, but we’ll take a lot of confidence from the last 5 games. The set-up is great, last match before the knock-out stage, the scenario is nicely set-up and we’re happy to play our last league game in front of our fans. Not thinking a lot, we’ll take it as it comes and do our best.
Ruturaj Gaikwad after the toss!
We’ll bowl first. The wicket looks good, conditions are overcast and we will look to make the most of the movement in the first 2-3 overs. It looks a bit damp, but we’ll go with great intent. Every game in the IPL is must win, nothing changes for us, we’ll take it ball-by-ball, try and win the small processes. We’ve won some crucial games to go ahead of the pack in the middle. Just one change - Moeen isn’t available, Santner replaces him.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karn Sharma, Yash Dayal, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Siraj.
Chennai Super Kings Playing XI
Rachin Ravindra, Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Daryl Mitchell, Ajinkya Rahane, Ravindra Jadeja, MS Dhoni (wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh, Maheesh Theekshana.
Toss
Chennai Super Kings wins the toss and elects to bowl first. Mitchell Santner replaces Moeen Ali in the playing XI, says Ruturaj Gaikwad.
No delay in toss
The weather has behaved so far and we are set to have the toss on time. Faf du Plessis and Ruturaj Gaikwad walk out to the middle for the flip of the coin.
A primer on the DLS method, which could come into play today
RCB vs CSK, IPL 2024: Duckworth-Lewis method in cricket - DLS rules, methods, and calculations during rain-shortened limited-overs matches.
What does RCB need to qualify?
So, first RCB will hope the weather permits a game tonight. Then, it will need to beat CSK by at least 18 runs or 11 balls to spare. Even a win with a lower victory margin than that will not be enough for the hosts.
Good news!
The covers are reportedly removed from the main square for now as the drizzle relents. Fingers crossed!
A light drizzle!
The news is not good for the local fans. There is a slight drizzle that has set in at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and the covers are reportedly out.
Kohli is not in favour of the Impact Player rule
IPL 2024: Kohli said the rule swayed the game in favour of the batters and urged the BCCI to think it through with the 10 franchises before the next edition.
Latest weather update
The forecast for 6 PM IST in Bengaluru is that there is a cloud cover but just a 33 per cent chance of rain. It is currently 29 degrees Celsius.
Chennai Super Kings Predicted XI
Bat 1st: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande.
Bowl 1st: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra Jadeja, Sameer Rizvi, MS Dhoni (wk), Mitchell Santner, Shardul Thakur, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Simarjeet Singh.
Impact Player options: Simarjeet Singh/Shivam Dube, Mukesh Choudhary, Shaik Rasheed, Sameer Rizvi, Prashant Solanki.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted XI
Bat 1st: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yash Dayal, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson.
Bowl 1st: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Yash Dayal, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh.
Impact Player options: Swapnil Singh/Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Saurav Chauhan, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Suyash Prabhudessai.
Dream11 Fantasy Team
Dinesh Karthik
BATTERSRuturaj Gaikwad (vc), Virat Kohli (c), Shivam Dube, Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar
ALL-ROUNDERSRavindra Jadeja, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell
BOWLERSTushar Deshpande, Yash Dayal
Team Composition: RCB 7:4 CSK Credits Left: 9.5
RCB vs CSK HEAD-TO-HEAD IN IPL AT BENGALURU
Matches played: 10
RCB won: 4
CSK won: 5
No result: 1
Last result: CSK won by 8 runs (April, 2023)
RCB vs CSK HEAD-TO-HEAD IN IPL
Matches played: 33
RCB won: 10
CSK won: 22
No result: 1
Last result: CSK won by 6 wickets (April, 2024)
State-of-the-art drainage system to the rescue?
As per the the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru could witness thunderstorms on Saturday when RCB and CSK take on each other in a battle for the fourth and final IPL 2024 playoff spot.
Rain, rain, go away!
The IPL 2024 match between RCB and CSK in Bengaluru on Saturday will decide the final playoff spot.
SQUADS
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.
Chennai Super Kings: Ruturaj Gaikwad (c), MS Dhoni, Moeen Ali, Deepak Chahar, Tushar Deshpande, Shivam Dube, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Ravindra Jadeja, Ajay Mandal, Mukesh Choudhary, Ajinkya Rahane, Shaik Rasheed, Mitchell Santner, Simarjeet Singh, Nishant Sindhu, Prashant Solanki, Maheesh Theekshana, Rachin Ravindra, Shardul Thakur, Daryl Mitchell, Sameer Rizvi, Mustafizur Rahman, Richard Gleeson, Avanish Rao Aravelly. Players injured/withdrawn: Devon Conway, Matheesha Pathirana.