In a crucial Match 68 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) clinched a playoff spot in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 by defeating Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by 27 runs. The victory was pivotal, meeting the required margin to secure their place in the knockout stage.

RCB’s batting brilliance

Batting first, RCB set a formidable target, posting 218/5 in their 20 overs. Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli laid a solid foundation with a 78 runs partnership for the first wicket. Du Plessis scored a crucial 54, while Kohli added 47 off 29 balls, decorated with four sixes and three boundaries. Contributions from Rajat Patidar (41 off 23 balls) and Cameron Green (38 not out off 17 balls) further boosted the total. In the final overs, Dinesh Karthik (14 off 6 balls) and Glenn Maxwell (16 off 5 balls) played impactful cameos to lift RCB’s score

CSK’s response and collapse

CSK’s chase started disastrously with Ruturaj Gaikwad getting out on the first ball. Daryl Mitchell soon followed, leaving CSK in a precarious position. Rachin Ravindra, however, provided some hope with a resilient 61, and Ajinkya Rahane supported well  as they both added 66 runs in 41 balls  for the third wicket. Despite their efforts, CSK struggled to maintain the momentum. Ravindra Jadeja‘s valiant unbeaten 42 off 22 balls was not enough as CSK ended their innings at 191/7.

Also WATCH: Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli in tears of joy as RCB beat CSK to qualify for IPL 2024 playoffs

Shivam Dube’s struggle with the bat and fans frustration

Shivam Dube‘s performance was underwhelming and significantly impacted CSK’s chase. Coming in at a crucial juncture with CSK needing to accelerate, Dube failed to find his rhythm, scoring just 7 off 15 balls. His inability to rotate the strike and score quickly added pressure on the lower middle order. Additionally, Dube was involved in the run-out of the well-set Ravindra, which was proved to be a turning point in the match.

This misstep, coupled with his slow scoring, drew the ire of CSK fans, who expressed their frustration over his lack of intent and poor performance during such a critical phase of the game. CSK fans were visibly upset with the team’s collapse, particularly targeting Dube for his slow innings and the crucial run-out. Social media was abuzz with criticism, highlighting Dube’s lack of aggression and inability to perform under pressure as key reasons for the defeat.

Here’s how Twitter reacted:

Let’s take a moment and thank our RCB agent Shivam Dube for running out Rachin Ravindra and himself scoring 7 off 15.
Once an RCBian, always an RCBian pic.twitter.com/j6bCZ9ml33

— Pari (@BluntIndianGal) May 19, 2024

What an composed inning for RCB by Statue Shivam Dube, 7(15) S.R- 46 while chasing 219🥵🔥 pic.twitter.com/mfphC95o5l

— TukTuk Academy (@TukTuk_Academy) May 18, 2024

So many things for #CSK to ponder over. Dhoni above Santner surely? And Dube had to sacrifice when Ravindra was batting the way he was ……..But for a depleted side they did very well to come this far. Now questions abound for the future.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 18, 2024

Shivam Dube isn’t the same after T20 World Cup selection. Bro bring your old version. pic.twitter.com/yg4n8ACGSh

— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) May 18, 2024

Those 15 balls by Shivam Dube are gonna haunt us forever, Ngl.

— Hustler (@HustlerCSK) May 18, 2024

Shivam Dube before and after his selection in the T20 World Cup squad. pic.twitter.com/2eeVXAa4ol

— Saurabh Malhotra (@MalhotraSaurabh) May 18, 2024

This run out will haunt Shivam Dube for the rest of his life.

Definitely the big turning point in today’s game imo.#RCBvCSK #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/SE73kv80Ce

— Vibhor (@Vibhor4CSK) May 18, 2024

Shivam dube that was those innings you sometimes played for us ,today you did it again 🙏

— arfan (@Im__Arfan) May 18, 2024

Shivam Dube did Baz McCallum.
Got set Batsman runout and got out cheaply.

— 🎰 (@StanMSD) May 18, 2024

Shivam Dube today pic.twitter.com/PabWybIUVw

— Gagan🇮🇳 (@1no_aalsi_) May 18, 2024

Did dube retire from batting after getting selected for World Cup? pic.twitter.com/eTeO1kILEK

— Heisenberg ☢ (@internetumpire) May 18, 2024

Also READ: Twitter erupts as RCB knocks CSK out to reach the IPL 2024 playoffs

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