WATCH: Faf Du Plessis Stunned As Virat Kohli Hits Six On Roof Of Chinnaswamy During RCB Vs CSK IPL 2024 Match

RCB began their encounter against CSK with aggressive intent as both Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis smashed 31 runs from the first three overs of the powerplay. Rain interrupted play but within the 18 balls bowled, Kohli smashed one humongous six against Tushar Deshpande which hit the roof of M.Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (May 18). RCB skipper Faf du Plessis was left in awe with the shot and distance the ball went.

Watch the video here…

We knew the result the moment it hit the bat #TATAIPL #RCBvCSK #IPLonJioCinema #ViratKohli pic.twitter.com/dorospipre
 JioCinema (@JioCinema) May 18, 2024

Ruturaj Gaikwad-led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) won the toss and decided to field against Faf du Plessis’ Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the knockout match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here that will decide which team gets to join Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the playoffs. (IPL 2024: Virat Kohli Drops Big Hint On MS Dhoni’s Retirement Ahead Of RCB Vs CSK Clash)

The Bengaluru-based franchise stand in seventh place with 12 points and have a +0.387 net run rate in the 17th season of the tournament with six wins in 13 matches. While, Ruturaj Gaikwad’s CSK hold fourth place with 14 points and have a net run rate of +0.528 after winning 7 of 13 matches.

To replace the Super Kings in the top four and qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs, RCB need to win the match on Saturday by at least 18 runs if they score a minimum of 200 runs batting first or win in 18.1 overs if they are chasing 200.

CSK skipper Gaikwad confirmed that Mitchell Santner will replace Moeen Ali in their playing eleven against RCB.

“We’ll bowl first. The wicket looks good, conditions are overcast and we will look to make the most of the movement in the first 2-3 overs. It looks a bit damp, but we’ll go with great intent. Every game in the IPL is must win, nothing changes for us, we’ll take it ball-by-ball, try and win the small processes. We’ve won some crucial games to go ahead of the pack in the middle. Just one change – Moeen isn’t available, Santner replaces him,” Gaikwad said.

Faf du Plessis said they are not thinking too much about the game and will take what comes in the match.

“We would have fielded as well, but we put up a good score when we batted first last. Losing the toss isn’t ideal, but we’ll take a lot of confidence from the last 5 games. The set-up is great, last match before the knock-out stage, the scenario is nicely set-up and we’re happy to play our last league game in front of our fans. Not thinking a lot, we’ll take it as it comes and do our best,” Du Plessis said.