Why Mustafizur Rahman didn't talk after the POTM award in CSK vs RCB? Reason Explained

Star Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was the vital cog for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) opener held in Chennai on March 22. CSK clinched the game by six wickets, marking their eighth successive triumph against RCB at Chepauk.

It was Rahman's terrific 4/29 spell that helped Chennai to restrict Bengaluru by 173 after the visitors opted to bat first. The 28-year-old provided his side an early breakthrough dismissing RCB captain Faf du Plessis (35) and Rajat Patidar for a three-ball duck in the fifth over. He struck again in the 12th over and sent Virat Kohli and Cameron Green back to the pavilion. Notably, his match-winning spell allowed him to earn the first Player of the Match award in the 17th edition of the tournament.

Meanwhile, fans were left surprised as Rahman did not speak at the customary post-match presentation ceremony. However, it is understood that it was due to communication difficulties he did not utter a word. The 28-year-old is comfortable only in the Bengali language and neither the host Ravi Shastri nor any of his teammates was fluent in it. Nevertheless, MS Dhoni understands Bengali but he was non-fluent to translate it efficiently.

Also read: 'He executed that beautifully today' - Eric Simons lauds Mustafizur Rahman's brilliant spell against RCB

CSK beat RCB by six wickets in IPL 2024 opener

Ruturaj Gaikwad marked his first win as CSK captain after his side outclassed RCB by six wickets with eight balls to spare. CSK received early breakthroughs with Mustafizur Rahman claiming a four-wicket haul and Deepak Chahar picking up one wicket. Despite Rahman's brilliance, Anuj Rawat (48 off 25) and Dinesh Karthik (38* off 26) forged a vital 95-run partnership for the sixth wicket, rescuing RCB from a dangerous situation and helping post a 174-run target. During the chase, CSK also got into trouble but Shivam Dube (34* off 28), and Ravindra Jadeja (25* off 17) helped their side to cross the line in the penultimate over.