In the opening match of IPL 2024, a standout moment unfolded when Chennai Super Kings’ fielders, Ajinkya Rahane and Rachin Ravindra, combined to dismiss the formidable Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

CSK’s bowler, Mustafizur Rahman, made a crucial breakthrough in the 12th over, delivering a short ball that Kohli attempted to hook towards deep mid-wicket. However, the slower pace of the delivery made timing difficult for Kohli, resulting in a mistimed shot that sent the ball looping towards Rahane.

Rahane, positioned to his right, executed a sharp sliding catch, but his momentum carried him perilously close to the boundary ropes. Anticipating this, Rahane quickly released the ball towards debutant Ravindra, who was converging from the opposite direction.

Brilliant relay catch 👌
Timber strike 🎯

Mustafizur Rahman is making merry & so are @ChennaiIPL 🙌

Head to @JioCinema and @StarSportsIndia to watch the match LIVE

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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 22, 2024

Ravindra completed the catch cleanly, but the decision was referred to the TV umpire for confirmation. Ultimately, the ruling favored the fielding team, sending Kohli back to the pavilion after a brief stint at the crease, having scored 21 runs off 20 balls.

Kohli’s dismissal was a significant blow, particularly considering his recent return to action after a hiatus since January. Nevertheless, during his innings, he achieved a milestone by surpassing 12,000 T20 runs, becoming the first Indian and the sixth overall to accomplish this feat. Following Kohli’s departure, Mustafizur continued his impressive spell by dismissing Cameron Green just two balls later, further denting RCB’s batting lineup.

By the 12th over, Mustafizur had claimed four wickets, contributing to RCB’s struggle as they found themselves at 78 for 5. This challenging position for RCB was compounded by the fact that they were put into bat first after losing the toss to CSK’s captain, Faf du Plessis. Notably, RCB’s difficulties against CSK in Chennai date back to IPL 2009, highlighting the historical dominance of CSK over their opponents in this particular venue.

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