RCB captain Rajat Patidar hails Hazlewood’s powerplay impact and praises his spinners as Bengaluru end their 16-year winless streak at CSK’s Chepauk stronghold.
Chennai, March 29: After Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s dominant 50-run win over Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar credited Josh Hazlewood’s explosive opening over and his spinners for turning the match in their favour.
“It’s always special to play at Chepauk because of the atmosphere and the fans,” said Patidar at the post-match presentation. “The ball was stopping a bit, it wasn’t easy for the batters. That’s why we were targeting 200, knowing chasing here wouldn’t be simple.”
RCB posted 196/7, with Patidar leading from the front with a composed 51 off 32 balls. He received support from Phil Salt (34), Devdutt Padikkal (27), and a finishing flourish from Tim David, who smashed 22 off just 8 balls.
“My goal was clear – as long as I’m at the crease, I’ll keep trying on every ball,” said Patidar, who was named Player of the Match.
On the bowling front, Patidar highlighted the plan to utilize spinners early, which paid off. “The track was spinner-friendly, and the way Livingstone bowled was outstanding,” he said. Liam Livingstone (2/28) and Yash Dayal (2/18) complemented Hazlewood’s brilliance (3/21), ensuring CSK never gained momentum in the chase.
But the turning point came early.
“That first over from Josh (Hazlewood) was a game-changer. Taking two wickets in the powerplay set the tone,” said Patidar.
CSK, chasing 197, were rocked early at 8/2. While Rachin Ravindra resisted with 41, and MS Dhoni entertained late with a 16-ball 30*, CSK never really recovered and ended at 146/8 — falling short by 50 runs.
This victory marked RCB’s first win at Chepauk since 2008, breaking a 16-year drought against the Yellow Army on their home turf.