2 mistakes and 1 masterstroke by CSK in their IPL 2024 match vs RCB

Shivam Dube and Ravindra Jadeja were at the crease when the winning runs were hit for the second game running as the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) beat the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) by six wickets in the IPL 2024 season opener on Friday, March 22.

Of course, the first game in question was the Super Kings' historic win over the Gujarat Titans (GT) in the IPL 2023 final, where Jadeja smacked 10 off the last two balls to fashion an improbable victory. This time, things were relatively tension-free, as the defending champions got over the line with eight deliveries to spare.

However, it wasn't a perfect performance from CSK, who could work on a few areas ahead of their next contest. At the post-match presentation, newly appointed captain Ruturaj Gaikwad made it a point to mention that things could've transpired better.

Here are two mistakes and one masterstroke made by CSK in their IPL 2024 game against RCB:

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#3 Mistake - Ruturaj Gaikwad didn't use a sixth bowler

CSK aren't a team to experiment much with their bowling changes, but their current combination, which doesn't feature Moeen Ali and Mitchell Santner, meant that they could've relied on Daryl Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra for an over or two.

While throwing the ball to Mitchell would've been a massive risk, Ravindra could've been used immediately after the powerplay, when Virat Kohli and Cameron Green were at the crease. Having another left-arm spinner at the other end would've helped CSK have a bit more flexibility later in the innings.

Eventually, Tushar Deshpande needed to bowl two overs at the death, and the first of those cost 25. The Super Kings need to ensure that they don't become too rigid with their bowling plans.

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#2 Masterstroke - CSK used Mustafizur Rahman's overs to perfection

While not using Ravindra wasn't ideal, Gaikwad's usage of Mustafizur was extremely wise.

The CSK captain brought the left-armer on in the fifth over, when Faf du Plessis was going great guns. Mustafizur delivered, picking up two wickets in the over, and replicated the feat in the 12th over, when he was brought on with another partnership brewing.

Gaikwad rightfully resisted the temptation to make either of those one-over spells any longer, saving two for the death. It would've been easy for the captain to attempt to go for the jugular, but he was calm and stuck to his initial plans.

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#1 Mistake - Shivam Dube should have been sent in ahead of Daryl Mitchell

Rachin Ravindra was dismissed off the last ball of the seventh over bowled by Karn Sharma. At that point, with Mayank Dagar yet to bowl, CSK should've sent in Shivam Dube as an impact player to take on the RCB spinners.

However, the Super Kings decided to deploy Mitchell at No. 4, a move that didn't make much sense. It brought two right-handers to the crease, giving Du Plessis the freedom to bowl two overs of Dagar on the trot, which yielded just six runs.

It also exposed Dube to the RCB pacers' short-ball barrage, a phase of play that he struggled to deal with for the most part of his innings. On another day, if he had been dismissed just as the fast bowlers started their onslaught, CSK could've been in big trouble.