IPL 2022, CSK vs RCB: Uthappa-Dube domination hands Chennai maiden season win; netizens relieved

Chennai Super Kings beat Royal Challengers Bangalore by 23 runs in IPL 2022. AS CSK registered its maiden season win, netizens expressed their relief.

It was a commendable outing by four-time defending champion Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in Match 22 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Played at the Dr DY Patil Sports Academy Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Tuesday, CSK registered a 23-run win. As it was the first season win for the Men in Yellow, netizens expressed their relief and hoped for a title-retaining turnaround.

Winning the toss, RCB skipper Faf du Plessis put CSK to bat, as the latter was off to a jittery start, losing a couple of wickets by the seventh over, at the score of 36. However, it was thereon that Robin Uthappa (88) and Shivam Dube (95*) turned things around completely. The duo put up a record-breaking 165-run stand for the third wicket while both men played their best IPL innings to date.

In the 19th, leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga dismissed Uthappa, as CSK finished on a monumental total of 216/4. For RCB, Hasaranga claimed a couple, while pacer Josh Hazlewood was the most economical one. In reply, RCB began on a sour note, losing three by the sixth over of the powerplay, with 42 runs on the board.

As RCB struggled at 50/4 by the seventh over, Shahbaz Ahmed (41) and Suyash Prabhudessai (34) added 60 for the fifth wicket. The latter fell to off-spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the 13th, followed by the former at 133 in the 15th. Thereon, it struggled to get regular partnerships, with Dinesh Karthik (34) providing some faint hope towards the end.

As Karthik departed to pacer Dwayne Bravo in the 18th, RCB's last hope was dashed, while CSK comfortably cruised to a 23-run win. For CSK, Theekshana claimed four, while off-spinner Moeen was the most economical from the side.
Brief scores: CSK 216/4 (Uthappa- 88, Dube- 95*; Hasaranga- 2/35) defeated RCB 193/9 (Ahmed- 41, Prabhudessai- 34, Karthik- 34; Theekshana- 4/33, Jadeja- 3/39) by 23 runs.