IPL: CSK vs RCB - The Mother of all the battles

The 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is almost upon us, and what better way to start it than with the southern derby, the mother of all battles, CSK vs RCB! This high-octane clash between the two star-studded teams has always been the most awaited fixture in the league stages of the IPL, and it almost never disappoints. Set in the backdrop of the Cauvery river divide, the blockbuster clash has never been short of emotion and drama.

Over the years, it has evolved into a passionate potpourri of emotions, what with the assemblage of devoted cricket fans that both teams have garnered. Of late, CSK vs RCB has often been billed as MS Dhoni vs Virat Kohli, a clash between two of the most enigmatic cricketers in India’s long and colourful cricket history.

Here, we take a look at some of the most memorable clashes between the 2 heavyweights over the years:

IPL 2012 in Chennai:

This meeting between the 2 sides remains, to the day, one of the most incredible turnarounds in the IPL. CSK needed 43 from the last 2 overs to win, a very steep task, when the RCB captain Daniel Vettori infamously tossed the ball to Virat Kohli. Even Kohli couldn’t have predicted the destruction to follow, as he leaked 28 runs in one over, against a rampaging Albie Morkel. CSK proceeded to pull off one of the greatest heists in the tournament’s history, and left a shell-shocked RCB licking its wounds.

IPL 2013 in Chennai:

In 2013, the two sides once again produced a thriller at Chennai. Ravindra Jadeja emerged a hero with 38* in probably the most unbelievable, dramatic ending to an IPL match ever. With CSK requiring two runs from the last ball, Jadeja hit RP Singh straight into the hands of third-man.

RCB had just started to celebrate a remarkable victory, but the CSK batsmen had noticed the umpire signalling a no-ball, and as they had completed 1 run, they had already won. RP Singh had gone from hero to villain in a matter of seconds. A picture from this game, capturing both teams celebrating after the final ball, remains one of the most iconic images in IPL history.

IPL 2018 in Bangalore:

The two sides met in Bangalore in 2018, in a match for the ages. This was a match that swung like a pendulum, from the start to the end. In the second innings, RCB had CSK on the mat at 74-4, and a little later, CSK needed 99 runs from 42 balls, and faced an uphill task. But the hosts had bowled out their best bowlers, and their remaining bowling options ended up bleeding runs to a vintage Dhoni and a classy Rayudu, as CSK got home in the final over. It was yet another game between the two that RCB should have sealed but didn’t.

It seems almost unreal that these 2 teams keep producing nerve-wracking matches of remarkable quality, matches straight out of fantasy. Perhaps it’s destiny that writes their scripts. 11 years and 21 meetings down the lane, CSK leads the head-to-head record against RCB 14-7. But it is a lot closer than that scoreline suggests, with a good share of matches being absolute nail-biters.

And yet, here’s a damning fact. The last time Royal Challengers won a game against the Chennai Super Kings, Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister. 5 years it’s been since red got the better of yellow. Can Kohli and co. finally, go one-up on their arch-rivals in the 2019 season opener? Or will Dhoni’s boys paint Chennai yellow again? However the match pans out, sparks are bound to fly, and emotions are bound to run high! For this is the El Clasico of IPL. This is David vs Goliath. This is CSK vs RCB!

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~Written by Sanjay Rangharajhan