'Can't believe!' Fans congratulate RCB as they qualify for Playoffs; CSK knocked OUT

What a turnaround it has been for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)! After losing seven out of the first eight matches and sitting in the 10th spot, RCB scripted a remarkable comeback, winning their following six games on the trot to revive their campaign and even qualify for the Playoffs. After posting 218 runs against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), RCB needed to win with an 18+ run margin, and they did just that, winning by 27 runs. 

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With this victory, RCB finally secured a win over CSK in a knockout game. It has often been the men in yellow who have dominated over the men in red, but it's redemption time for RCB tonight. Emotions ran high, with Virat Kohli shedding tears of joy while the others revelled in jubilation. Fans too could not keep calm as they took to social media, particularly X (formerly known as Twitter), to trend "congratulations RCB" and "RCB Qualified".

RCB set the tone with the bat, having scored 218. However, coming to chase, they had to keep the deficit within 18 runs and ensure that they defeated CSK within 200 runs to qualify for the Playoffs. They got the perfect start when Glenn Maxwell struck with the first ball to remove CSK skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad for a golden duck. Daryl Mitchell, who came to the crease soon after, could not stay for long as he departed for 4 off 6. Rachin Ravindra stayed at the crease, even reaching his half-century, while Ajinkya Rahane contributed 33 off 22.

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Ravindra (61 off 37), who was looking in fine form, was run out after a mix-up with Shivam Dube. The Indian all-rounder also did not contribute much as he was out for 7 off 15. Ravindra Jadeja was aiming to take his side to victory, but he did not find a reliable partner in Mitchell Santner (3 off 4). However, enter MS Dhoni, and the two Indians looked to break numerous hearts.

MSD even smashed a six over the roof at fine leg, but credit to Yash Dayal, who kept a cool head. He forced a top-edge that dismissed MS Dhoni for 25 off 13. From then on, Dayal kept delivering the back-of-the-hand slower balls and eventually led his side to victory.

Earlier in the innings, RCB posted quite a challenging total. Virat Kohli (47 off 29) and Faf du Plessis (54 off 39) played impressive knocks to set the platform. Rain interrupted the game, but the batters kept going as the RCB openers didn't throw their wickets away and put up a fight. 

Kohli missed out on his fifty as Mitchell Santner removed him in the 10th over; however, skipper Faf notched up a solid half-century before he was unfortunately run out at the bowler's end. Rajat Patidar (41 off 23) and Cameron Green (38 off 17 not out) had a fabulous partnership as the pair entertained the crowd with their boundaries. 

Dinesh Karthik (14 off 6) and Glenn Maxwell (16 off 5) played cameos towards the end as RCB finished with 218/5. For CSK, Shardul Thakur picked up two wickets, while Tushar Deshpande and Mitchell Santner picked up one each.

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