In a historic Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched a resounding 50-run victory over Chennai Super Kings (CSK), ending a 17-year-long wait for a win at the iconic venue. However, it was Virat Kohli’s heartfelt hug for MS Dhoni post-match that truly broke the internet, with fans hailing the emotional moment between the two legends.

RCB’s all-round performance ensured a statement victory, marking CSK’s heaviest defeat at Chepauk in IPL history. With this result in Match 8 of the season, the Bengaluru side also avenged years of losses at this venue since their only win back in 2008.

Patidar leads with the bat, David’s late blitz lifts RCB

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar led from the front, notching up his first half-century as captain. He scored 51 off 30 balls, benefitting from two dropped chances. While the middle order faced hiccups, Tim David’s late flourish — an unbeaten 22 off just 8 balls including three sixes in the final over — helped push RCB to a competitive total.

Earlier, Phil Salt got things going with a quickfire 32 off 16 balls, while Virat Kohli added 31 and Devdutt Padikkal chipped in with 27. Despite losing wickets in their push for quick runs, RCB ended strong, thanks to David’s explosive hitting.

Hazlewood, Dayal decimate CSK’s top order

Josh Hazlewood’s fiery opening spell disrupted CSK’s chase early, removing Rahul Tripathi and Ruturaj Gaikwad in the same over. Yash Dayal and Liam Livingstone supported with crucial strikes, and CSK soon found themselves reeling at 75/5 by the 12th over.

Rachin Ravindra showed promise with 41 off 31 balls, but he lacked support. Shivam Dube, Ravindra Jadeja, and Ravichandran Ashwin failed to convert their starts, leaving MS Dhoni to wage a lone battle at the end.

Dhoni fights back, breaks record

Despite the loss, Dhoni provided a silver lining for CSK fans. With an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls — including two towering sixes in the final over — he became CSK’s highest-ever run-scorer in IPL history, surpassing Suresh Raina’s tally.

His lightning-quick stumping of Phil Salt was another highlight, leaving fans in awe of the veteran’s reflexes even at this stage of his career.

Noor Ahmad was once again the pick of the bowlers for CSK, returning figures of 3/36 after a 4-wicket haul in the previous match. However, his efforts, along with Pathirana’s two wickets, weren’t enough to stop a determined RCB outfit.

Post-match moment wins hearts

As the dust settled on the field, it was Virat Kohli’s embrace with MS Dhoni that captured fans’ hearts. The camaraderie between the two stalwarts of Indian cricket became an instant sensation on social media, with fans celebrating the moment as a sign of mutual respect and admiration.

Mumbai Indians head coach Mahela Jayawardene has offered a cautious but optimistic update on Jasprit Bumrah’s recovery, indicating the star pacer could rejoin the squad during the upcoming IPL 2025 season, although his exact return date remains undecided.

Bumrah is currently undergoing rehabilitation at the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru after suffering a lower back injury during the final Test against Australia in Sydney. The injury ruled him out of the Champions Trophy and has kept him away from competitive cricket since.

Jayawardene stated that while “everything seems okay”, there’s still no confirmation from the National Cricket Academy (NCA) regarding a green signal for Bumrah’s return to active play. “He is progressing well,” said the MI coach, adding that the franchise hopes to have him back sometime in April.

Mumbai Indians manage without Bumrah… for now

In Bumrah’s absence, Trent Boult and Deepak Chahar have taken up pace responsibilities. Satyanarayana Raju was also handed his debut in MI’s opener against Chennai Super Kings, stepping in for Hardik Pandya, who was suspended for one match due to a slow over-rate offence from last season.

Will MI fans welcome Hardik Pandya back?

The 2025 IPL season also marks Hardik Pandya’s return to Ahmedabad, where he was first booed after his controversial switch from Gujarat Titans to Mumbai Indians and being named captain in place of Rohit Sharma. Pandya faced crowd hostility across venues last season as MI finished at the bottom of the table.

Jayawardene, however, believes the bitterness has faded. “It was just passionate fandom. Everyone’s moved on,” he said. With Pandya playing key roles in India’s T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy victories, the coach expects a warmer reception this time.

As Mumbai Indians prepare to face Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Jayawardene hopes the focus shifts from past drama to MI’s current campaign — especially as the team looks to overcome slow starts against high-performing sides like GT, who recently came close to pulling off the second-highest chase in IPL history against Punjab Kings.

By Mohammad Javed Rasheedi

It was anything but a calm post-match press conference after Chennai Super Kings’ (CSK) 50-run defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at Chepauk on Friday. When a journalist raised a pointed question about CSK’s approach being outdated,” the CSK head coach Stephen Fleming didn’t hold back.

In a post match conference, the journalist cited CSK’s slow chase of 156 in the first game and a score of 146 against RCB, asking Fleming if the team’s conservative batting approach was losing relevance in modern T20 cricket. Fleming, visibly annoyed, shot back:

The question that sparked it all?

“In the first game, you chased 156 in almost 20 overs. Today, you scored 146. I know this is your way of playing cricket, but do you think it’s kind of getting outdated?”

That didn’t go well with Fleming. His response? Sharp and direct: “What do you mean by my way of playing? We’ve got firepower all the way through. Just because we don’t swing from ball one… just wait till the end, see who wins. It is a positive brand of cricket. Don’t discount us.”

And when the journalist tried to clarify, Fleming shut it down: “You sort of are. Silly question.”

Chepauk advantage?

Interestingly, the loss was CSK’s first of the IPL 2025 season, and RCB’s first win at Chepauk since 2008. But Fleming says there’s no such thing as home advantage anymore. “We’ve told you for years — we can’t read these wickets. It’s not the Chepauk of old. We’re trying to figure it out every single game,” the CSK head coach admitted.

Ruturaj Gaikwad’s surprising take on loss

The CSK skipper believed 170 was a par score and blamed fielding errors for the defeat. “We dropped catches, gave away boundaries. The wicket wasn’t easy to bat on. But it wasn’t a huge loss… just 50 runs,” Gaikwad said.

Wait, just 50 runs?

That comment raised a few eyebrows, especially in the context of T20, where a 50-run margin is quite significant. Fans online were quick to call out the casual tone.

So, is CSK really outdated? Or just warming up the vintage engine?

One loss doesn’t define CSK — but the questions around their approach and consistency may linger. Are they ready to bounce back? Only time (and the next match) will tell. But if you’re planning to question Stephen Fleming again — maybe bring a helmet.

What’s next for CSK?

As they prepare to travel to Guwahati for their next match, Gaikwad said the focus is clear: “We need major improvement in fielding. It’s about turning up mentally strong and fixing the areas we’re lacking in.”