The highly anticipated cricket spectacle commenced on Friday, March 22nd. Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) kicked off the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season at MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Although fans were eager to witness MS Dhoni leading the team in what could be his last IPL season, the former India captain passed the captaincy to Ruturaj Gaikwad a day prior to the opener. However, Dhoni will remain behind the stumps as the wicketkeeper.
In a touching moment on the field, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli embraced as Dhoni assumed his position behind the stumps while Kohli prepared to open the innings for RCB. The pair exchanged smiles as they shared a hug before the start of the game.
You can watch the video here:
Lovely scene of Mahi and Kohli #ViratKohli #MSDhoni𓃵 #IPLonJioCinema #IPLOpeningCeremony #IPL pic.twitter.com/0jZI5RP5Yw
— Global EyeView🌎 (@DhoniAbhinav) March 22, 2024
Faf du Plessis provides RCB with a strong start before CSK bowlers disrupt their momentum
RCB captain Faf du Plessis won the toss and elected to bat first. Opening the innings with Kohli, du Plessis took the lead in scoring runs while Kohli played a supporting role. In their 41-run opening partnership, du Plessis was the dominant force, scoring 35 runs off 23 balls before being dismissed by Mustafizur Rahman.
Rahman, making his debut for CSK, made an immediate impact by taking two wickets in his first over, dismissing Rajat Patidar for a three-ball duck. Deepak Chahar, who conceded 17 runs in his second over, also joined the wicket-taking spree by dismissing the dangerous Glenn Maxwell.
Both Patidar and Maxwell edged the ball, leading to MS Dhoni completing two excellent catches behind the stumps. Despite a strong start, RCB’s momentum dwindled, and they ended the powerplay with 42 runs on the board, having lost three wickets.
During this period, Kohli reached two significant milestones, becoming the sole Indian cricketer to surpass 12,000 runs in T20 cricket and the second-fastest player to achieve this feat after Chris Gayle.
Additionally, the former RCB skipper also reached the milestone of scoring 1000 runs against CSK.
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