IPL 2025: RCB stab CSK in own backyard as Rajat Patidar leads with flourish

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This is one romance which leaves a set of fans heartbroken, perpetually. In several editions of the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bengaluru versus Chennai Super Kings had become one contest which was a must-watch, where, just like tragedy in the end, it left fans bleeding.

No cliché this, for years, RCB fans have suffered, some silently, some in pain. It did not matter if tears shed were caught by the camera or they were quiet ones. So, on Friday night at the cauldron called Chepauk in Chennai, there was more than a change in the script as RCB shocked CSK by 50 runs to make the this trip a bit different.

Tears flowed, many hearts were broken again, some even walked to the nearby Marina Beach to drown their sorrow, as CSK losing at home to RCB was least expected. Rather, it is unacceptable. Well, cricket in the IPL is not just about what the form books say or several AI-based predictors want you to believe.

You've got to go out there on the field and deliver. It was more than just one final punch which RCB had landed on CSK, this time the combined force of a side which has never won the IPL title shining like the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.

It is easy to say Rajat Patidar fashioned this triumph for RCB. Yes, he did, but there were other star performers as well for the underdogs of the IPL whose brand value is massive. The man who started the slide, which turned out to be 'down the hill' for CSK was none other than Josh Hazlewood.

The Aussie fast bowler is seasoned, like cool summer wine. For those who know a bit about the Chennai weather and how evenings are, it is a mix. It can be hot and muggy, yet when the evening sea breeze sets in, there is a tingle.

It was more than a gentle, this soothing sea breeze, for what Josh did was something full of energy. As they say in Hindi full of 'josh.' The 34-year-old quickie broke the spine of the CSK batting, where he was supported by past master Bhuvneshwar Kumar and also Yash Dayal.

There has been a chatter about Bhuvi being unfit and not ready. Well, RCB were not sweating over it, they knew, he would come and swing the ball. So, for RCB to pull off two wins in a row is not what the IPL 2025 pundits had predicted. Hang on, the hype was Virat Kohli versus MS Dhoni, as if this was a slugfest evening planned at the famous Madison Square Gardens in Manhattan, New York.

Building this to a crescendo is fine, for Kohli and Dhoni are still the faces of their own franchises. But then, modern-day IPL is about performing on the stage, be it seasoned pros or the Young Turks.

The RCB bowlers deserve fulsome praise to bowl on a track which is usually tailored for the slow, choke-and-death type of cricket which CSK love. It's a patent and nobody dare experiment with it.

It is also important, no matter what, in Chennai, the curators are more intelligent and produce wickets for international matches with quality in mind. In the IPL, the curator will do what the CSK think-tank says.

For all those who watched Friday night's fiesta on TV or cell phones, the way the match shaped up was a bit like the nervous videos one watched on social media where buildings were crumbling like cookies in Bangkok and Myanmar and even China.

A 7.7 earthquake measured on the Richter Scale was crazy, as buildings rocked and coffee cups crashed. It left that region in Asia numb on Friday. The same thing happened in Chennai as well, just that in the middle of the 22 yards, RCB rocked the CSK boat.

For those who felt skipper Rajat Patidar showed maturity in slamming a hard 52, he was born for it. The amount of planning RCB have done ahead of this season is big.

Patidar had been spoken to after the IPL 2024 season. He wanted to do something in his own state cricket (domestic) before accepting this prestigious role at RCB, where Virat Kohli and Dinesh Karthik would decide who would lead in the 2025 season.

Patidar is cool and handles the pressure well. He has, for guidance, Virat 'bhaiyya." How does one also forget, this time wily old fox DK - Dinesh Karthik - was also there to scheme and plan for RXB. He lives in Chennai, and had invited his team over for a meal at home, which has gone viral on social media.

He shared more than a few recipes, perhaps, beyond food. Destruction was also one such thing planned, as defeating CSK in their own den is not easy. DK always smiles, and on Friday night, he would have been chuffed.

For the CSK fans, this loss hurts, but that's OK. One has to accept wins and losses in the IPL bravely, as it's still early days. Last but not the least, how does one forget MS Dhoni.

For those who felt he has slowed down and coming at No.9 is lousy, please understand, Dhoni is not with CSK as a finisher any more at the age of 43. His batting 'might' may have come down, but 30 runs at the end off 16 balls was no mean feat.

The real value of Dhoni is still in how he functions as a wicket-keeper, where his reflexes and anticipation rock. Need verification, ask how he stumped Phil Salt in a flash, off Noor Ahmad.