"Always felt sorry for RCB fans..." - Matthew Hayden

Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden stated that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) might end their trophy drought in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 season. Matthew Hayden's statement came after the Faf du Plessis-led team's victory over the Chennai Super Kings in a thrilling encounter.

The Royal Challengers secured a comfortable 27-run victory in their last league match at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, May 18. RCB advanced to the playoffs in the IPL 2024, becoming the fourth team after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Rajasthan Royals (RR), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

The RCB franchise began the tournament with a defeat against the Chennai Super Kings. The Faf du Plessis-led team faced seven losses in their first eight matches. They spent most of the time at the bottom of the points table. The 2016 IPL runner-up managed to secure six consecutive victories.

That Was Almost The Perfect Match For RCB - Matthew Hayden

Speaking to Star Sports after RCB's victory, Matthew Hayden stated that the Faf du Plessis-led squad appears to be well-disciplined. Hayden suggested that this might be the year for RCB to break their trophy drought. He stated that the last game was almost the perfect match for RCB.

"It's really great to watch, actually, encouraging to watch. I've always felt a little sorry for RCB fans if I was being perfectly honest because they come so far to see this the ninth time they've been in this playoffs. And they've been bridesmaids, a number of times. So, this might be the year. They seem to be just a side that is extremely well, disciplined, and it's routine. Now, that was almost the perfect match for RCB this evening," said Hayden.

RCB openers Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis provided a flying start after being asked to bat first. However, the visiting team came into the game after the rain interrupted the break. Virat Kohli fell short of a well-deserved half-century. The star batter scored 47 runs off 29 balls, including three fours and four sixes.

Faf du Plessis added a 35-run partnership of 20 balls with Rajat Patidar for the second wicket. Du Plessis was run out after scoring 54 runs in 39 balls with three fours and as many sixes. Patidar (41) and Cameron Green (38) added valuable contributions as RCB posted a total of 218 runs in 20 overs.

The defending champions needed 201 runs to secure a playoff spot. Ruturaj Gaikwad was dismissed for a duck on the first ball of the chase. MS Dhoni joined Ravindra Jadeja when the team was struggling at 129 for 6. Dhoni and Jadeja kept the match tense until the final over, but CSK scored 191 runs.

The Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team finished in fifth place in the points table. The Chennai-based team secured seven victories out of 14 league-stage matches in the IPL 2024. The team earned 14 points, but their net run rate (NRR) of +0.392 was slightly less than the Bengaluru-based team's +0.459.

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